Revelation for a Dark Soul
by Kyrios28Veile
Summary: [summary rewrite] They were partners since the start of the rebellion 10 years ago, but on their last assignment, they fell off the grid. 13 years later, they're found by both old friends, and new foes. When age begins to take it's toll, it'll be up to the new generation to amend their father's sins. but, how far a price would they pay along the way?
1. Revelation

**Man I had this on my mind, and I couldn't shake it off. So what do devoted fans do, we Fanfic it!...Well, that was terrible! In any case, I've seen many great art on Deviant Art, and one in particular gave me inspiration. And here it is, my first JaunexNeo Fanfic. I'm not particularly fond of Dark fics, nevertheless, it did not stop me from writing! Please do enjoy, if at all possible to enjoy a Dark fic.**

Amongst the ruins of a once fortified city, a bloodied huntress ran as fast as her legs could, glancing back to make sure she was gaining ground. The burned down rubble, rotting bodies already picked to the bone, sun that no longer shun detailed this landscape better than any text in books. Reaching the end of the street, she ran into an old park. The place where it all began, when the city was destined to fall, and friends who became enemies. One in particular, striking in a time when every ally was needed, turning coats for his own manifesto. His actions severed the idea of trust, hunting all of them down until only she remained.

When reaching the middle of the park, her worst fear struck, literally. A blonde man swooped down, striking the floor with such force she was sent flying back. Landing hard on the ground, she tried getting up, but the fatigue of their previous skirmish still lingered. His foot slammed down on her chest, causing even more blood to spill from her mouth. Eyes glanced up weakly, her once friend glared down on her with a devilish smile.

"Jaune, why're you doing this?" Her voice was hoarse, the blood in her mouth gurgled.

The figure's face was revealed from the light of the moon, his once sweet nature replaced with a murderous monster. "Don't be so surprised Blake, we all knew I didn't belong at Beacon. Everyone knew I didn't belong."

"What about Pyhrra?"

Jaune was taken aback by that name, his first partner, inspiration, and first victim. His smile faded for a second, before it returned. "What does it matter now?"

"I cared about you! Didn't that matter?!" Blake shouted, her voice echoing throughout the hollow streets. Just as Jaune was about to drive his blade into her chest, he remembered her kindness. Although it wasn't always so direct, she did care somewhat for him. His hands shook slightly, then violently as he dropped his sword. Using his hands to shield his face.

"Jaune?" Blake noticed his sudden reaction, believing she finally reached him, rose up from the floor. "Jaune?" When she moved the hands that covered his face, she was greeted with a blank expression, followed by his hand stabbing her stomach.

Her widened eyes stared at his cold blue orbs, his emotionless expression showed no remorse for his actions. Tears shed from her eyes as her breathing slowed. "J-Jaune...I thought..."

The blonde only smiled "Yes, we were friends. But none of it matters anymore."

He removed his hand, watching her fall while trying to grip his shirt. "Jaune, I'm your friend..." Her body hit the floor hard, blood flowing out from her fatal wound, amber eyes losing their light, and her last breath exhaling.

Meanwhile, Jaune only grinned while bowing slightly. "So then you shouldn't take this personal, I'm just doing my job. I am sorry, honestly." The dishonesty in his tone was easy to detect, had she still been breathing. Jaune took one last look at her, then began walking away. Just as he did, another figure's shadow had appeared. He drew his sword at the arrival, the sound of metal making contact with the cracked concrete echoed throughout the city. The figure's outline matched his latest victim, he tried turning away, but every moment he turned away, the figure stayed within his line of vision.

Something suddenly threw him down on his knees; its presence overwhelmed him to the point where breathing was hard.

_"What've you done?"_ He glanced up, a blonde woman clothed in white glared down on him. _"Are you determined to prove how much of a monster you've become? What kind of sick creature would kill his own friends!?"_

Jaune's aura began acting awry, bringing up memories he once suppressed, and this woman made hiding them all the more hard. He stiffened himself, "They were never my...friends." His lie brought upon more specters of his victims; Nora and Yang. Both staring down on him with sympathy, than anger. Their presence caused Jaune to slam his head on the concrete, hoping the impact would strengthen his amnesia. Little did he know, it would only cause more pain than what he currently felt.

_"Then why does your heart say otherwise? And are you going to try and tell me Blake was only saying things to stay alive!?" _

"They were all lies! They never cared!"

_"Then why are you in so much pain!?" _

What felt like a blunt hit to the head had Jaune's eyes close for a second, then reopen to find more of what he tried to rid himself of; Weiss, Ren, Velvet, Sun, Neptune, Ruby, and Pyhrra. All of them surrounded him; neither showed a glimpse of anger. The feelings he once discarded began emerging all at once. So much he couldn't fight the rising tears anymore.

_"Pull yourself together boy. If you're so strong, then brush aside these feelings just as you have before. Or are you such a coward you have to hide these memories just so you could kill them?" _

"They're not my friends; I gave that up years ago to perfect my power? Blake and the others meant nothing to me!"

His stubborn lies finally triggered the figure to react on her own accord. Grabbing Jaune by his shirt, bringing him face to face with her, almost a mirrored image of his former self. _"YOU STUBBORN FOOL! YOU THINK BY TELLING YOURSELF THIS, IT WON'T AFFECT YOU?!"_ She gripped his head, forcing him to face his friends. _"LOOK AT THEM, CAN YOU NOT HEAR THEIR SOULS CRYING OUT! YOU ABANDONED THEM, YOUR REAL FAMILY, THREW THEM AWAY LIKE TRASH!"_

Jaune shook his head, tears raining down uncontrollably, unable to handle the emotions that were breaking down the barrier he set keep his heart from breaking down on him. Closing his eyes to these specters didn't do any good, flashbacks played constantly.

_"And even now, the girl you travel with, you think you can love her after all you've done?! Fool, if you're able to kill your own friends with ease, then very soon, you'll lose Neo just as those you killed before!" _

She released his clothing, allowing Jaune to fall. By then, his stubbornness finally crumbled. 10 years of bottled up feelings burst all at once. His cries were louder than the howls of the Grimm that now take up residence in what used to be Vale. He held Blake's body close to his, allowing what he couldn't for so long. He felt the pain, every moment of what he did, relived in a single night.

From afar, Neo broke her semblance. It hurt her to do this to him, but he needed this. She watched every kill he made, watched him walk away hiding the burst of tears that wanted to escape.

Jaune joined Cinder's group before the incident in Vale, catching Neo's eye almost instantly was his ability to communicate with her without the need for actual speech.

It was revealed that Cinder's goal was to start a revolution within the kingdom of Vale, and create a coalition of varies groups labeled 'outcasts' or 'radicals' by the government. Their plans were rough the first few years, but thanks to Jaune, many of Vale's valuable hunters fell. In the coalition, he was recognized as a hero, idolized by those who were wronged by the kingdoms. Though in the books of the government, he was one of the greatest turncoats in history. Killing his entire team, and those closest to him with no remorse. Then proceeded to make every attempt of retaking the kingdom all the more impossible.

Even when the coalition succeeded in their plans, many loyal Vale hunters remained, leaving Jaune with the duty to hunt them all down. Neo accompanied him by her own choice, being the only person who didn't see him as some heartless killing monster so many labeled him as, but a boy who strove to become stronger, choosing wrong sides, and making mistakes he couldn't amend for.

The following day, Neo walked out to the park were Jaune was burying his fallen friend. He noticed her, and smiled slightly. "Unusual of me, right? That was a pretty show you put on for me last night."

"?"

"C'mon Neo, you think I wouldn't recognize your semblance after spending 10 years with you?"

"...?"

"Mad? Let me think..."

He walked up to her; his expressionless face had her frightened. That is, until he embraced her, tightly.

"I don't deserve you...but...I..."

"...?"

"I can't lose you either."

Neo's eyes began running rivers of their own, wrapping her arms around him. After a few minutes Jaune pulled away, wiping away her tears. "Which is why, we need to go our separate ways."

"!?"

He removed her hold on him, pointing towards the docks. "The coalition scouts will be waiting, tell them I was successful, but I didn't survive. It won't be long until the other 3 kingdoms rain down on Cinder's coalition, and we both know what happens to traitors like me. So like I've done before, and as I will do for the rest of my miserable life, I'm going to run. But I don't want you to suffer for my sins. So just...leave."

Jaune left a flower on Blake's grave, sheathing his sword before leaving without saying another word to Neo. One thing that illusion taught him; if Neo stuck with him when a bounty hunter came about, she would undoubtedly get hurt or worse. Just as he took another step, a single word stopped him.

"No"

He turned to the once silent girl who finally spoke. It was quick, and soft, but sweet and mellow. She didn't expect her intervention to result to this, nor would she allow what was transpiring to continue.

It didn't take much for Jaune to snap back to reality, remembering how stubborn she was when it came to what she wanted. And if she wasn't going to leave his side, by Monty there wasn't a force on Remnant to stop her.

"I hope you realize if we go together, we can't stay in one place for too long. And if we do, it's got to be someplace no one can find or recognize us, because there won't be a bounty hunter alive who'll be able to resist taking my down. Plus, I'm the only company you'll ever have if that happens."

Neo nodded, smiling and fully accepting his proposal. Much to Jaune's disappointment, he didn't get to hear her voice again. "Is there ever a moment I'll get to hear your voice again, a 'yes' maybe?"

Her response was her right index finger pointing to her left hand's fourth finger. And a small blush in her cheeks. Once Jaune's mind got the message, he blushed deeply.

Upon their leave, Jaune took only one look back at what remained of Beacon Academy. Then left with Neo by his side, or more correctly, clinging to his arm. Never to be seen by another living being again.

Just as Jaune predicted, Cinder's coalition was brought to its knees after the other kingdoms finally decided to act. The woman in question escaped, leaving Roman to pay for her crimes, and the kingdom of Vale in shatters. There were attempts, but no one could clear the City of Vale of its Grimm infestation. Marking the city as another of the worst tragedies in human history. The name Jaune Arc was remembered as one of the most powerful warriors to ever exist in Remnant, and the worst of turncoats. The hunt for him was intense, sought out mainly by the families of his victims. Yet, no one ever finding a single solid lead.

Many remembered him as an inspiration; others placed him alongside the list of mistakes that were born to Remnant. Though in the many years that followed after his 'disappearance', only one saw him by what he truly was: her husband.

**HAHA! I hate sad endings…which is to say I wouldn't write or read them for the feels. Regardless of what I feel, this author leaves you with a somewhat nice ending. Well, for any who're confused; Neo's seems to be illusions, so in the favorable option to get her partner to open up and be direct with his feelings, a little tough love was needed. Because I think we can all agree; when we look back on who we used to be, many of us would curse what drove us to it. And now I bid you my faithful readers, farewell.**


	2. Starting anew, together

**I don't know why, but I when I have an idea, more of the same start popping up, so in favor of my last story I have made this small continuation. I just can't leave my last story without an Epilogue, so to you readers who wanted a continuation, here it is! Oh! And to the reader who asked if they had a child; of course not! They had children****! The more the merrier!**

Life in Remnant finally calmed after the uprising that went on for a full decade, leaving many hearts broken and lives drowning in sorrow. Of course, that was the initial reaction, strong souls helped bring light back to a forgotten land. Within less time than the span of the war, peace settled once again in Vale. Old resentments were pushed aside as brand new Hunters and Huntresses from near and far arrived to assist with the rebuilding.

Those in the coalition disbanded, some with crimes so severe, they were executed publicly. A few grunts were allowed to live, but a mark was burned into their flesh where the world could see the burden they carry, forever a reminder of shame for their roles in the revolution. Bounty posters for former generals and lieutenants were plastered over every outpost to major cities. The second highest, oddly, standing at 60 million lien was Cinder Fall; former leader of the coalition. The highest, standing at 100 million lien was Jaune Arc for treason, murder, and many other various crimes listed below his bounty. Very few took up the job; veteran hunters avoided the idea of pursuing a traitor that probably died during the Blitz. His crimes were more than enough to discourage rookies. Various Faunus and Humans looked at Jaune from different perspectives. Those who knew him well saw him as a serious, yet fun person whom always followed orders to the letter without question. Whatever the order may be, he did it, regardless of morality.

The surviving family members of hunters taken down by him, mainly the Schnee and Winchester groups, hired experienced trackers and hunters to find him, though when it came to covering his tracks, there was none better.

Little did they know, he was just around the riverbed...literally! A small town by the name of; Henan, just south of Vale Kingdom's territory, where fugitives lived peacefully, unknown to their neighbors across the river. Then again, he was experienced in concealing his aura so hiding was easy enough. Deep within the forest was a small, but beautiful prairie. A comfortable cottage built beside an old tree; peaceful, quiet, and isolated from the outside world. Right?

And that's where we're wrong!

"Dad!"

Came from two very loud and extremely active children. Both dog piling on a sleeping man. Their attack was no surprise, but the strength they used was not even close to normal for kids their age. Given their parents however, it wasn't unexpected.

"Dad! C'mon, you promised to take us to the town today! Let's go!" Came from the smallest one, a young girl, nine years old to be exact. Short blonde hair, porcelain skin, yet with mismatched eyes just like her mother. Her left eye blue, while the right was red.

"C'mon dad, mom's already waiting!" Now the oldest began tugging his covered father. Long pink hair, tied into a pony tail. Light brown eyes, and slightly tan skin from helping his father work on the field. A strong, healthy 12 year old.

Jaune opened a single eye when hearing the word 'mom', "Is she now? Fine, just go and wait for me in the living room."

"Just hurry dad! I wanna visit the library, they might have something new today." His daughter began jumping in excitement, her brother patting her head "You're such a bookworm, Blake." He teased.

To which she pouted her cheeks, and returned with "You should try reading, Noa. You might learn something other than how to swing a stick." She ended sticking her tongue out.

"Enough!" Jaune's gruff voice brought the two of them to end their bickering for the moment. Both eyes glued to their father as he rose from the bed. "Blake, I've told you before to respect your brother. And Noa, you're supposed to defend your sister. Not to be the cause of all this bickering."

Both kids lowered their heads, while their dad sighed. Patting the two of them. Their heads lifted, greeted by a smiling father. "Go get ready..." His heartwarming smile turned devilish "or mom will find out the 'real' reason her last batch of chocolate chip cookies disappeared."

The two children paled, running out of the room faster than their father could blink.

Jaune chuckled at how easily he could scare his kids; just mention their mother and they'll do anything to escape her punishment. If he learned anything from his teen years; hell knows no fury than that of a woman scorn. And when his kids broke their mother's rules, her anger was more feared than facing an Ursa Major bare handed.

How did he know? From experience, something he didn't plan on repeating. Neo had her sweet moments, but even the purest smile can hide something frightening behind the façade. Jaune himself had to completely alter his own appearance, allowing his hair to grow out just barely touching his shoulders, tying it somewhat the same as his son. Growing a beard was one idea he had, but it remained an idea when relieving a glare from Neo made his heart skip a few beats. After building their cottage, an Ursa Major strayed from the woods and attacked them. With his weapon inside, Jaune fought it hand to claw. Leaving the blonde 3 claw scars across his left eye. It wasn't too bad, head wounds just tend to bleed a lot, which looked more like a scratch after crushing the Ursa's skull when it lunged towards his wife.

No matter how many times he told that story to his kids, their reactions were always the same; Blake gleamed at her father's courage, while Noa considered doing the same with an Ursa cub. Of course, like always, his mother silenced the idea.

The family of four left their house, the parents walking slowly while watching their kids ran to certain spots of the forest. Finally, they crossed the bridge which led directly into Henan. Thanks to the change in his facial features, and Neo's identity still incognito from her time in the coalition, people knew them as The Beilschmidt family. Jaune and Neo were known as; Gildarts and Eliza Beilschmidt, a young couple who managed to escape the carnage of Vale during the first attack. Drifters without a home for over 11 years, constantly escaping the vicious grip of the coalition. When the rebellion fell, they finally had the chance to settle down somewhere just beyond the forest for 12 years. Or so went the story.

Once the bookstore was in sight, Blake ran as fast as her little legs could, her brother not too far behind her. Both parents chuckled while watching the older sibling scold his younger sister for leaving his side. It was cute to see how he would bicker with Blake one second, and then be so overprotective later. Jaune and Neo walked into the store, their little girl buried in books. Her older brother standing beside her, obviously bored, but still stayed beside her.

It was quite the life they lived now; no crazed bounty hunters, a nice secluded home for their kids, and no one knew about their past...and we stand corrected again.

A cloaked figure walked up behind Jaune, hold a blade to his neck. "Don't move, or I swear I'll run you through!" The voice was feminine, yet somewhat familiar. Judging by the arm's position, and hold on the blade; the figure was shorter than him, yet had a good idea were to cut in case he made any sudden movements. "You have no idea how long it took to find you!"

The store clerk froze; Noa reacted by shielding his sister while taking a combat stance. Neo wanted to do something, but if she made a move, this bastard might make one too.

"Now then, turn around, slowly." Jaune complied; hoping whoever this was wouldn't harm his family. Once he faced the figure, it removed its hood, leaving Both Neo and Jaune's jaws open.

"It's been a long search, but I'm glad to see the both of you are doing well." Her height was still the same as always, and there was no denying only she could have those joyful crimson eyes when having someone's life in her hands.

"Emerald?" Jaune couldn't believe she survived so long, from what he heard, the attack on their base of operations was so severe, mutilated bodies from the intense explosions and shrapnel couldn't be put back together completely. Or at the very least to a point where the bodies were identifiable. Out of most people, she wasn't one of the members he expected to see again, much less alive.

Her hair grew out, though it didn't pass her chest, and there were a few notable scars on her arms. She glared at the two of them, then just as quickly as she arrived, tears began running down her cheeks. That face she made, Jaune knew it all too well. The feeling of abandonment, Emerald felt betrayed that her friends left the coalition without a word, and allowed their achievements to crumble. Leaving the girl to witness such a crushing, and gory massacre, having to roam as a fugitive for 13 years, alone.

She no doubt wanted to pummel the both of them, but instead she threw herself unto Jaune crying uncontrollably. To the former members of Cinder's inner circle, they could tell how much Emerald suffered having lived this long running from all four kingdoms, but to lose people she cared about was perhaps harder than any bullet. Living off what she could find, perhaps having to steal or kill, being paranoid over the people you meet. Not knowing if they were bounty hunters sent to hunt you down.

Noa and Blake were immensely confused as the events unfolded, Neo gestured the clerk that the situation was handled.

Emerald cried, even when her sobs drowned her voice, she still continued to mourn the losses. But now, she could rejoice in finding forgotten friends. Her conscious wanted anger, yet her heart's emotions took over. Eventually, she cried herself to sleep. Both Jaune and Neo looked to one another, nodded in unison, and proceeded to take the girl back with them.

Once they returned to their home, Noa and Blake were sent straight to their rooms. Neo made sure the two listened, Jaune stayed with Emerald in another room until she awoke. It wasn't until the sun had settled did her eyes open, glancing to the two watching over her, she smiled. Thanking Monty she wasn't dreaming after all. Then again, the conversation that followed was all but heartwarming.

"You knew...you both knew everything would go to hell, and neither of you bothered to warn us?" Emerald wanted to shout out her anger, but her voice was a bit used up from her earlier outburst.

"You were too devoted to Cinder, if we said anything you would've thought we were either doubting, or threatening to end what she started. Besides, the only reason I left was to start my life anew. In the end, I was still running, but I wasn't killing anymore. Neo, on her own accord, accompanied me. We've been together since I started working for Cinder. I'd say it's only natural we stayed together after going through so much." Jaune explained, handing her a cup of coffee.

Emerald received the cup, glancing to the rooms belonging to the children, then back to the pair before her. "And I see you've been busy, haven't you?"

The blonde blushed deeply, still embarrassed even after all these years, while Neo only smiled while remembering their first night as a wedded couple.

"What happened to Mercury?" Jaune tried to change the subject, only to unknowingly hit a rather still fresh wound. The color from Emerald's eyes drained, trying her best to keep her smile from fading. "On the fifth of May, in the coalition's capital..." Her smiled faded completely. "...I remember Mercury and I were fighting, like always. Making a scene in the palace courtyard, that is, until he told me he was tired of fighting _like_ a couple, and would rather fight me _as_ a couple. The idiot actually got on his knees and proposed to me...and I said no, when i actually wanted to say yes. I was so mad at myself, I ran inside to get away from him. I went inside for just minute, and in that time the first bombs hit. A blitz attack, no one could've seen it coming. After I recovered from the shock, my first reaction was check on my partner. When I went outside, the courtyard was rubble, and Mercury, he..." Her hands began shaking as she remembered every detail of that day. Her own tears began falling again, some into her coffee. "I never knew how much I'd miss him, until I actually lost him." Emerald began doing the same thing Jaune did, she fought the tears, trying her best to stop. Just like before, Neo intervened; embracing Emerald the way a mother would, allowing herself to share the burden. She vented all her emotions on that single night.

Night fell on the cottage, Emerald was entertaining both Noa and Blake, while Jaune and Neo prepared dinner. The pair went about cooking silently for a few minutes before Jaune decided to voice his thoughts.

"I think she should stay with us, she's traveled so far, always cautious of everything and everyone. It'd be good for her to finally rest and be happy with people she can trust."

"?"

"Well, we welcomed her in our home, and the knife to the neck thing was always her way of saying 'hi'. So, I don't see a reason for her not to trust us."

"..."

Jaune smiled "I couldn't agree more. We'll talk about it after dinner." He leaned over to kiss his wife, then returned to preparing their meal.

Neo couldn't help but grin over how the day went. Short it might've been, though with the sudden reappearance of an old friend, it was great to know someone they cared about survived. 10 years as assassins, 13 as parents and a wedded couple. Her life, like those of the coalition wasn't exactly sunshine and rainbows. Roman was part of that pain, treating her as if she was expendable. But had he not recruited her, she would've never met Jaune when he joined. The two bundles of joy she brought unto this world wouldn't be here with her. All in all, she found herself thanking grateful for every decision she made, whether good or bad, because it all led up to this moment. This continuation of happiness she received each day was only made possible for every decided choice. Only Monty would know what he'd throw at her and Jaune next. In either case, whatever the event, she'd greet it face to face knowing full well her husband would be by her side. Just as she has, and always will be by his.

**Once again, if I brought about any feels, believe me as the author I felt them as I wrote it. This was a small addition to a story I should've finished with one chapter, but that's the curse of being an author; when we start something we're interested in, eventually it becomes an obsession to make it end perfectly. Thank you for reading.**


	3. Approaching Storm

**Sorry for the wait, here is a new chapter. As always, do enjoy.**

The sun's light was breaking through the thicket of dawn's mist. With blistering cold winds, the inhabitants within a small cottage snuggled warmly beneath covers that shielded them from the low temperatures. One, however, had plans of his own this particular morning. Jaune arose from bed doing his best to avoid waking his partner as he dressed. Slipping out of the house ever so quietly, taking a long walk through the forest. His strolls were once workout runs, that eventually had to become walks. The cold wasn't kind on his aging body, being forty was harder than what he imagined. Even so, he wouldn't trade away the passing time, or any of the pain that came with it.

Three months after Emerald moved in with them, the news of his comrades in the coalition still afflicted his sleep. Neo felt it too, by Monty the regret of abandoning all those poor souls weighed down on her. It wasn't until the second month did she finally get some sleep, and even when she did, their faces never left her dreams. The only way for her to sleep peacefully was when Jaune wrapped his arms around her. Even so, she knew it was just a bandage over a wound. Her husband, however, dealt without much harder.

He had no right to call them friends, not after all the decisions he made before, but there was a bond amongst the rebels. The idea that united them together under a single banner, a hopeful future, which took 10 years' worth of lives; friends and lovers, only to end with a crushing defeat.

It was an unspoken truth; just before Atlas and its forces retook Vale, the Coalition was undoubtedly going to win the war. One would ask; what demography made up this rebel force? The governments classified them as; ruffians, savages, and anarchistic brutes. Yet taken the time to truly see within their rankings, the Coalition members were just humans and Faunus driven by a cause. People abandoned by their governments, left to rot or be killed by the Grimm.

The citizens of well-developed cities blamed the creatures of darkness for the massacres, but only those within the highest chains of military rankings knew the truth. The destroyed settlements were merely just propaganda, their deaths infused great anger, and gave rise to enrollments into both hunter and military schools.

On the day of the Vytal Festival, when unity and peace were expected to last another many years more, lives were shattered as the Coalition made its move, striking down the banner of Vale. In the midst of the confusion from the initial attack, many turncoats from all over the kingdom received the signal, and so began the decade long civil war. Notable groups such as; the White Fang and Libertà proudly stood behind Cinder Fall as she paved the dream the coalition shared.

In Beacon, there was only one, and no soul suspected him until the fighting began. Jaune's betrayal shocked many; the once quiet and cheerful blonde suddenly shifted into an emotionless assassin. Those who witnessed his actions saw the initial remorse in his face when he drove his blade into his own partner. Though sentiment was an abandoned notion when striking down the rest of his classmates. In a single day, more than half of the student body, and a near 89% of the military forces in the city were lost.

"Up a little early aren't we?"

Jaune's train of thoughts shifted to a friend dangling under a tree branch. "You're the same age as me, yet how can you still be so agile?" Jaune asked.

Emerald merely laughed at his question, then jumped down to him. "What can I say? I still got it. You know, blaming yourself for something that was bound to happen isn't good for your health. The war was going to end one way or another...thankfully, Vale didn't win either."

"Wait, what? I thought you said Atlas and the other kingdoms intervened."

"They did, on one condition; Vale was to surrender its entirety. When only Military officials were seen as the last government figures, and most of the kingdom's citizens joining the coalition, they had no choice but to agree. And so, the territories of Vale are now divided amongst the other three.

This came as quite a surprise, although, if General Ironwood was playing a role in that treaty, then the whole ordeal could've been predicted. To think the kingdom he grew up in was forced to subdue rather than face the shame of admitting defeat. Jaune knew the other kingdoms were waiting for most of the war to blow over, aiding Vale when both sides would be weakened by the years of conflict. But to allow the fall of an entire kingdom just to save it from rebels, only proved how patient and great avarice these politicians had.

Luckily, most of the villages and settlements out here were independent; outside of Kingdom influences.

The two friends continued catching up on lost time, and taking in the scenery around them.

All the while, a small airship made a quick flyby over the forest, the Schnee banner embedded on the hull proudly. Inside were a small number of hunters, each of them around the same age, and bearing the old Vale emblem on their left arms. The door to the cockpit opened, revealing a young and beautiful woman. Her white hair, and light blue eyes were a mirrored image of a lost sibling. Though not as graceful or clean, she carried a standard Atlesian rifle while wearing and an old set of Vale armor. One of the pilots turned to her "Ma'am, we're nearing the destination. ETA: 10 minutes."

To which the woman smiled and turned her attention to her team. "Alright ladies, listen up!" Her voice cold, and gruff. "Our target; Emerald Sustrai, was last seen in this area. We will tear apart this forest if we have to, but we're not going home without her. In cuffs or in pieces. Understood?!"

"Yes ma'am!"

Winter Schnee, the last descendent of Heinrich Shcnee. A decorated soldier with a need for vengeance. After the death of her elder sister, she focused her entire life on training, and when the time came, she was in the First Battalion: first Atlesian ground division to take part in the invasion. While taking down rebel after rebel was soothing, her main target was still somewhere at large; Jaune Arc, the traitor responsible for killing her sister. Even after reports claimed his death during the Blitz, and her superiors redirected her focus on coalition members that were actually proven to still be alive, she vowed to never rest until she had his corpse paraded through Atlas.

Little did she know, the source of her hate will appear before her very soon, without fully knowing it is him. Will her search finally come to an end, or will it be her own emotions that end her?

**And this is where we depart. ****I'm sorry it isn't as long as it should be, but I'm currently stuck in terms of where to take this story. I shall waste no time in continuing, however I must think it through, carefully, with what's to come of the surviving members in this story.** **Fear not, I'm not abandoning my story. I shall continue once I can grasp a good plot involving Blake and Noa. Thank you for reading.**


	4. Why i did it

**Hello! and here is the long awaited fourth chapter. it's been quite a while, but i am hoping all the editing was of good use. Without any further delay, here is the next chapter. **

Initially, upon the ending of the war, Valen's assumed their kingdom would be reconstructed and their lives could begin to heal. They allowed the prospect of peace to cloud their homes for a while, believing there was honor among the Atlesians. That was not the case. A quiet and peacefully morning in the independent villages scattered about the region was nothing but a forgotten memory. Homes were raided, civilians shot in the street for suspicion of assisting both former and still active coalition members. Even years after the fact, rebellion was still the major enemy of the governments. Instilling fear amongst the masses assured that no more ideas flowed into their thoughts. The remaining kingdoms, in hopes of preventing another 'Vale', ruled under a military government. In the unofficial published works of a surviving Vale Hunter, she writes her experiences of the entire war from an unbiased perspective, from beginning towards the end. Although her book was generally banned from kingdom territory, there were copies sold from trade caravans in outer settlements. One particular passage gave a nostalgic feeling to most readers;

_The swelling wounds from the war's aftermath are slowly healing, but as I gaze upon the ruins of what was once my home, I can't help but think back to a time when the sun shone and I was able to smile. Living meant; getting up from bed every morning in an ungodly hour, getting a warm cup of coffee, and spend the majority of my time keeping my friends safe from pests. Not like today, when living means wielding a gun and shooting the man in front of you before he can pull the trigger on you. _

_Skies of clear blue, gentle breezes to cool us from the suns heat, and laughter that came from innocence not malice. The air was clean, unlike the ash that lingers. What does remain is a mother's sense of worry for her child's survival, only it is not bullies she has to fear now. Amongst forced enlistment into the army, and whether their current rations are enough to feed their families, the unstable buildings in which many lived in were hazardous enough. _

_I remember a time when Jaune Arc lived with us, trained with us, and a time when he would truly die for his friends. Even now, I cannot fathom his reasons for turning on his friends. Such a betrayal I doubt he has yet to forgive himself for, nor will he ever. People will say war was his stressor, though only few knew he switched sides before the bombs began falling. His allegiance was to the souls cast aside by the military, innocents used as propaganda for military growth. _

_The day Vale fell, I spoke to him for what felt like hours. His philosophy was neutral in a sense, his opinions slowly opening to what our society once called; immoral. But I remember what drew my attention to him; when I asked him for his thoughts on our history. He answered me with; "History has and always will be __written__ by the victors, but true history is __spoken__ by the survivors, whether victorious or not." To this day and throughout these many years, I can, without a moment of hesitation, still whole heartily agree with his words. Today I am left to wonder; what would've been, if he was still by our side? What would've become of him, what would've become of us? _

_-Coco _

Her words, and those of an anonymous few, were reminders of the past for both the disgraced and the abandoned. What a future Remnant is left with; cities with slums around every corner, military troopers unable, or rather with no intention, to differentiate the survivors of Vale, and the Coalition members. After the weakened kingdom was split between the other three factions, resentments were cast aside as new rebels struck back at the abuse and intolerance. While Coalition and old Valens would love nothing more than to be at one another's throats with a plethora of weaponry, they would reluctantly stand beside one another against these new aggressors. The betrayal of Atlas was indeed a violent and swift blitz. Though, it was met with grueling months of rejection and heavy casualties. These victories were enough for the uneasy alliance, for a time. But vengeance can only fuel anger for so long, and by then the battles became, skirmishes. And from there, the Atlesians would need only a few minutes to end any form of rebel faction. Indeed, this world was now unjust not to one group, but the remnants living within a nearly forgotten kingdom. This is the new way of life, and it shall always remain so. Or, will it?

The roaring engines of the bullhead echoed throughout the entire village, the nearby cattle reacted to the loud noise, farmers rushing out to calm their cattle. The large machine finally died down in the middle of the village, the rear doors slowly lowering to reveal 6 young hunters, and a single Veteran from the remnants of Vale's army. She wore various armor types, all different colors, pieces from fallen teammates, a single light brown strain of hair on the left side of her face, and a pair of shades to blot out the sun's rays. For a hunter of small stature, it was surprising when she exited the ship wielding a large Gatling gun. The presence of the military was enough for most of the villagers, however many eyes widened when Winter Schnee exited the ship. Some ran, others trembled, for a great majority of these villagers were once coalition soldiers. Many of them bearing the shamed mark on their skins openly; a testament of how the defeated are easily branded for discrimination.

The very sight of fear gave the new heiress a sadistic feeling, the marks on each of these villagers urged her desire to torture them for the pain they once caused, no one would question her actions, and it was done all around what used to be Vale.

Luckily for her, she would only need her own probable cause. "The majority of you dogs, are ex-coalition...but I am willing to put that aside today. All I want to know; where is Emerald Sustrai?" Her voice bounced between joy and anger. When there was no answer, she shifted a pistol to a random man and shot him with her smile remaining. The man, shocked initially, struggled to maintain his stance, but the new heiress wasted no time shooting him again.

"I know she's here! Either you give her up, or I'll burn this entire village to the ground, along with all of you miserable rats in it!" Her voice made her own troops flinch. The initial reactions were the screams of a child clinging to the dead man.

"Daddy! Please, no!" She pleaded, whilst Winter proceeded to aim at her. Her actions showed no remorse, and in truth, she cared little for these lives. Her finger slowly, and with leisure, pressed down on the trigger, firing again. The little ones body fell atop her father's, the heiress pressed her foot down on the dead child's head while glancing around.

"Well?! Where is she?!" When no soul answered, with a gleeful smile she gestured her troops to search the town, by any means necessary. The boy's moved out, waving their weapons about like confused children. However, only the Veteran remained still, angering Winter ever so. "I gave you an order, now go!"

"I heard you." Coco replied coldly, this wasn't what she signed up for, but money was scarce, and morality was just another casualty from the prior war. Rather than partake in the crime being committed by these Atlesian dogs, Coco focused on the escaping villagers. She chased after them, though once out of view, she allowed them to run and save themselves. Her gun fired into the air a few times to make the assumption that she was doing her 'job'. Killing civilians was the one thing that separated her from these new, poor excuses for hunters. If they wanted to burn the village for a single woman who was probably dead during the first blitz, then by all means they could count her out. She swore loyalty to Vale as a Huntress in training, but now, like any who were still active, she was merely a freelancer. Whether fighting with the new rebels, or the Atlesian army, as long as she was paid and never required to kill civilians, she continued to fight. It was all she knew now; her home and family were dead. Teammates; dead, what more could she do even now?

As she continued to walk deeper into the forest, she began to pick up on a rather sweet scent coming from across the river. Coco crossed the only bridge that connected these two sides, then destroyed the long wooden crossing. Those boys, nor the heiress, would be able to cross now; it gave her time to wander about. Whatever the scent was, it wasn't natural, meaning there were innocents unaware of the danger approaching. She came across a meadow, peaceful and tranquil; the sweet smell came from the sap running down the trees surrounding the quaint piece of land. The yellow fields were beautiful, smooth to the touch with the sun's warm shine directly on her face. For a moment, it felt like a dream, or the possibility she was dead. Lost in her gaze, Coco failed to notice a rifle aimed directly towards her. The cocking of the gun snapped her back to reality as she stared down upon the young boy aiming a fully loaded rifle at her. Judging by the way he held it, the young lad had experience, but his eyes were wavering; he was unsure whether to truly pull the trigger. What caught Coco's attention was the boy's pink hair and chocolate brown eyes. His glare was almost identical to one figure of her past; however, she lowered her gun. The boy was a bit astonished, but after she completely released her grip on the weapon, his aim eased ever so slightly.

"Sorry kid, you caught me off guard." Coco joked, hoping to ease the tension.

"You shouldn't be here; papa says outsiders aren't allowed here."

"Mind telling me where _here_ is, or better, why not tell me your name?"

The boy raised his rifle again, though not with too much sign of aggression. "Noa Beilschmidt. Now yours."

"Coco. Now, can you lower your gun? I'm not here to hurt you, I promise."

Noa stared deep into the strange woman's eyes, she spoke the truth, but he was still wary of whether or not to allow her passage in this valley. For one moment, he lowered his rifle; Coco relaxed her arms with a tired sigh. As she was about to question the boy, a knife was suddenly held against her throat with an unknown holding her from behind.

"Don't move." Came the hissing sound behind her, almost instantly Noa raised his rifle aiming, aiming directly for Coco's head. He was confused at first, but the appearance of his father quickly soothed his worried mind. The Veteran Huntress stared with widen eyes as the very target sought by the world, and the boy who once enlightened her with his words was standing before her. Older, weathered, and ruggedly handsome at best. After all this time, he was still alive, and to think he was just south of Vale. For twenty-three years she guessed where he was, and what his actions left him with, and now, she could see in Noa, the same trait his father had; staring closely to his eyes was a trance-like state.

"This morning is full of surprises." Jaune commented as he stared down on his former ally with a heavy expression. It would seem his hiding skills were now fading and very soon his family would be endanger of enemies yet to come. Though rather than receive the usual or expected murderous glare, Coco smiled faintly and replied with "Indeed. It is, Jaune."

A few minutes pass and Neo was instantly confused as to why her husband, son, and best friend were bringing in a stranger by knife point. Out of instinct, she took both Blake and Noa to their rooms, assuring them the punishment for coming out without permission. Coco was stilled retrained by her hands, though her feet were free, she could finally sit eye to eye with this boy again, she wouldn't dare run now. At the very least not without obtaining a few answers.

Neo sat beside Jaune, clinging to his arm, hoping whoever this was would pose no threat to her family. Emerald kept her glare fixed on their new arrival with her fingers nudging the tip of her blades. The blonde himself remembered this girl clearly, the leader of team CVFY, and one of the reasons he enjoyed being in Beacon. She was witty, calm, and often very much like Yang in forms of teasing; however how she viewed the world did indeed spark many conversations between them. To the point when Jaune spoke of her to Neo, the silent girl would often pout or ignore the blonde out of her own fit of jealousy. But, twenty-three years have passed, and no doubt she probably wanted to literally chew him out, perhaps boiling him and adding seasoning for flavor. Any kind of punishment really, but she just stared calmly into his ocean blue eyes, like she did before. Her calm expression slowly weighed down her head "You left us." She muttered very clearly. "All this time I've asked myself; why? What went wrong? Could I have done something? Is he being coerced? But after hearing of your actions these past several years, I am at a lost." Her eyes fixed themselves on his own, "So tell me why…why did you betray us?"

It was the question he never answered, for Jaune felt that there would probably never be a chance for him to explain his sins. Yet here, this woman from his past is willing to listen, but it was a secret he kept even from his wife; the true reason he joined Cinder's Coalition. His quick, and satisfying answer was; because of power. He betrayed his friends only to become stronger, but that wasn't the case, at least not entirely. Jaune cleared his throat, sooner or later this was going to be revealed, though how would Neo feel, if she knew the truth? Would she still love him, or will she fear him? He readied himself, and began;

"Before the start of my second semester in Beacon, I received a message that my family was being held hostage, and if I didn't comply with their demands, they would've killed them. But…after I did as they asked, I soon found out on my own accord that my family was murdered on the same day they were captured. All of them, by two people; Roman Torchwick, and his assistant." For this Jaune's eyes drifted to the woman clinging to him. When she recognized the implication, she remembered her last assignment with Roman; killing an entire family. She shook her head, frightened that her husband knew all this time and yet stayed by her side. Her hold on him withdrew; her eyes were filled with fear that her husband was holding hidden anger towards her.

Jaune continued "I vowed to make myself stronger and avenge my family. To do this, I needed to join Cinder's group, and with my luck, I was partnered with Neo. Every day I smiled because I knew that when the time came I would run my blade through every one of those coalition soldiers, starting with Neo." The silent girl was taken aback by her husband's honesty; he kept this secret hidden from her for so long, but why would he reveal it now? Her mind played a scenario she feared would come to light; he'd act on his long held hatred and leave.

"But as time went on, I got to know many of the Coalition members, all of them were amazing people with many great talents. They were only there because of the promise of a safer and more united kingdom. And, as it turned out, every day I fell more and more in love with Neo to the point where a single scratch was enough to make my over-protective. I fell in love with the woman who, stubbornly, never left my side. But by falling in love, I grew more distant with my own teammates. So when the war began, I was left with two choices; Abide by my loyalty to Vale and kill Neo, or betray Vale and my teammates. In the end; I chose Neo." Jaune turned to face his wife, who was on the verge of tears upon listening to her husband, word for word. "And to this day I'm pleased with the decision I made."

Coco was somewhat surprised; it wasn't an answer she expected, though to be honest she didn't think he'd say anything to begin with. Though looking now, Neo was smiling proudly, her hands folded into a prayer fold. Jaune embraced her, knowing full well how she must feel; for the blood of her past was a stain that would never wash out. Emerald was shocked; she too once asked why the blonde knight from Beacon decided to join Cinder, now it was apparent that he only wished to murder everyone with his own hands. In a way, Neo saved their lives, and brought a valuable ally to their side, sadly it wasn't enough to win the war, or keep Mercury alive.

While the talk amongst the adults went on, Noa and Blake were listening from afar. The two retreated back into their rooms before getting caught, both of them were just as shocked as their aunt. To think their mother assisted the murder of their father's family, and he would've slain her for revenge had he not fallen for her. Blake was relating the scenario to a book, while Noa was lost in his own train of thought. His father was Jaune Arc; one the most powerful hunters to ever walk Remnant, and the sole reason the kingdom of Vale nearly fell to the Coalition. Not to mention, his mother was part of said group, doing Oum knows what. Quite the lineage he had.

Unbeknownst to this small group, the Atlesian Hunters and the heiress had reached the river. Using her sister's weapon abilities, Winter froze a piece of the river, allowing the men to march on.

"Burn it all, I don't care! Flush out the rats." She hollered. The hunters had equipped themselves with flamethrowers, and with the given signal, began burning the forest. A devilish smile widening on the heiress's lips 'Someday I will find you, Jaune Arc.'

**And Done! I'm sorry this took so long, thank you all readers for waiting patiently, I have an abundant of material for the future of this story, however due to college and my other stories there will be slight delays. Be that as it may, this story is now officially back on track. Thank you for reading!**


	5. Reunion from Death

**Lately I've realized this story has too many sad moments and reminders, so for this chapter there's a change in character involvement. While this certain time period isn't one for too many happy reads I will add some comical moments. Where this story goes is kind of a repetition to what I've read in many RWBY stories, though for this one, there will be a hardened decision to be made. Do enjoy this chapter. **

Mt. Runa, the inhabitants near the foot of the mountain are villagers loyal only to Vale, though in the days after the war, the uneasy alliance with the remnants of the Coalition members was of great necessity. But now, after so many humiliating defeats, and Pyrrhic victories, the members of Mt. Runa's villages lived peacefully. And a clear distance away from Henan, the village by the river occupied by former Coalition. There once was a time that Coalition meant a union or alliance of several political or government entities, but after the civil the war the very definition of the word changed into a hateful title for those who survived. When the war broke out, the other kingdoms claimed neutrality under the assumption that the civil war was to be dealt with by participants in house; no one could accurately predict the invasion. The Coalition members were a mix of various groups labeled terrorists by their government, shunned down upon because of their call for justice and the manner in which they made their cries heard. People rejoiced when their leader, Cinder Falls, declared a near victory. So much so that the invasion was as much of a surprise as the initial uprising. The reason the interventions never occurred was due to the treaty made by the coalition with the other kingdoms, Vale's natural resources would be theirs for the taking if they would just leave the civil war to be dealt with. But what caused the betrayal was the fear that similar acts would occur in the other kingdoms, or the influence of this victory would spread. In desperate attempts to maintain their power, politicians will do just about anything. In this case, the deaths of Valens mixed with those of the Coalition were but collateral damage. 13 years since the fall of both the kingdom of Vale and the Coalition, the other kingdoms kept a firm hold on the territories with a united military force that could not be defeated so easily, or without a heavy cost. Rebels and survivors alike eventually gave up, and did their best to adjust to the new government, yet; the humiliation, prejudice, abuse, and indiscriminate massacres merely pushed the territories more and more into another civil uprising.

But to those outside the territories, their lives were eased ever so slightly. With only their local militia as their army for defense, Atlesian forces could literally just run settlements over with nary a struggle. Atop the village in Mt. Runa lived another major figure of the Coalition, though her role in the fight was mainly to gather support of the local populations, and her efforts worked under a new identity. For she 'died' during the uprising, and her last true friend carried the burden of her sins, as well as those he performed himself. Her own cottage was small, and hidden well within the thickets, yet could overlook a majority of the forest. Upon the arrival of dawn, the unknown, sleeping soundly in the protection of her own home, was awoken by the sounds of a bullhead passing over the forest. Her eyes shot open, jumping out of bed and just as quickly running to the window still. Her eyes dilated in horror as they witnessed dark smoke arising from the village of Henan, all the while she saw the bullhead shooting down the fleeing villagers in an open field. Their blood and severed limbs littered the fields, dying the golden yellow into a light orange, and then into a deep red.

"Damn Atlesians." The woman growled. She quickly dressed herself and retrieved a rapier she hid under a false bottom within her closet. This weapon brought back painful memories, though just as easily, brought up painful memories. She wore a thick tunic to not only shield herself from the cold, but to conceal herself with the forest. Just as she was about to leave her home, a small hand caught her tunic. She turned to see her little one, almost a mirror image of herself, except with ocean blue eyes. "Mom, what's going on?" Her voice groggy and still weighed down by the urge to sleep. The woman was reluctant to involve her only child, but if the fighting spread to her own village, then her training would be put to the test, not only that this child was stubborn to no fault.

"Tell the men in Runa that villagers from Henan will be arriving soon. The Atlesians haves burned their homes, and we'll need to use the fallout shelters to hide the surviving villagers. Quickly now!" Without giving the young one a chance to protest, the woman made her way down the mountain, though her path wasn't towards the burning village, but to the land just across the river. _'I'll be there soon, Jaune.'_

What was supposed to be another quiet morning became an interesting turn of events. With some strand of luck, Coco found the once lost blonde knight and his family hidden within the forest. Interactions weren't at all what one would expect from opposing soldiers, but then again what good would further violence do now? The war was over, and both factions lost their goals long ago. Not that there were any winners to begin with; the conquering kingdoms were left to deal with remaining rebel forces, and said forces eventually went into hiding. Though after exchanging a few words with one another, the veteran huntress realized what was waiting just across the river, and had she been more attentive, she would've realized Winter Schnee's ability to freeze the river. Meaning a destroyed bridge wasn't going to stop her from continuing her hunt, and she might as well be approaching the cottage.

Realizing this, Jaune ran to the window, his eyes catching sight of a column of smoke from the direction of the village, an indication that his family was going to be in danger soon. Winter Schnee had one goal in mind; to kill him and if she found Neo and the children, this sadistic woman would torture them just to toy with him. He couldn't let his family die, not again. He ran to Coco and used a knife he swiped from Emerald to cut her retrains, if she wanted to kill him it was fine, but he knew the huntress would never harm his children.

"Neo, get the kids and pack them some extra cloths. Now!" Without hesitation, Neo ran to her children's room. Jaune retrieved two large nap sacks from a closet by the front door. "Emerald, Coco; fill these up with food." Emerald grabbed one and made haste, Coco on the other hand was staring at the blonde with confusion. She couldn't understand why the boy suddenly decided to trust her, but after a moment she took hold of the second bag and did as she was told. Jaune on the other hand ran to his study, and retrieved a small box within the top drawer of his desk. Before leaving, he assured the contents within the box were exactly what he needed to give his son. A legacy to pass on, and hopefully a way in which to cleanse the tainted history marked on it.

Neo and Noa were packing cloths quickly; Blake on the other hand left to her mother's book collection and retrieved a certain piece of parchment she couldn't leave behind. Not after reading its contents, and after what she heard about her father's past, there was one particular section of the book that could be of great use.

Jaune's entire family gathered in the living room, the sounds of shouting and gunfire were all but distant. Jaune pushed aside the living room rug, revealing a trapdoor; an escape tunnel stretching past the forest, perfect for quick escape with one condition to it. "You girls take the tunnels and get the kids out of here; I'll hold them off long enough for you to escape. Don't worry; I'll catch up as quickly as I can." His lies couldn't be any more obvious, but his children believed his words. Neo's eyes were reddening; she fought hard to put on a brave face for her children. Emerald and Coco did their best as well, but they knew what was going to occur if Jaune stayed behind. The blonde handed Emerald a folded letter. "Follow these coordinates, and you'll find yourselves with a close friend." Jaune took a moment to face his children, both of them were frightened and clinging to their mother tightly. He kneeled down, fighting the urge to cry in front of his children. "Noa, come here." His son slowly walked to him, "Take this for me, my friend has something of mine that will keep you and your sister safe. Behave, and protect our family, I'll do my best to catch up to you, ok?"

The boy nodded, receiving the box from his father's trembling hands. Jaune turned his attention to Blake, "Be a good girl, and listen to your mother. I love the both of you." He pulled both his children in, kissing both on the forehead, refusing to let go for a few moments before another gunshot was heard, this time just near the brim of the meadow. "Go!" He ordered Coco and Emerald, the two women grabbed the two kids and made their way down the tunnel. Neo stood with tears running rivers down her cheeks, the one person she stood by this long was about to do to the one thing she always feared; he was going to leave. She couldn't hold back her tears any longer, neither could her husband. Jaune took advantage of what little time they had left and embraced his wife, it was long, but time was not. The minute a bullet pinged off the window frame, Jaune broke their embrace "Go, I'll hold them off for as long as I can." Neo didn't budge, she was put in this position before, only this time it wasn't going to end the way she wanted. She knew enemies were a given, and sooner or later their family would be looking over their shoulders every waking moment. The tunnels were built with one intention; untraceable escape, as soon as someone passed the pressure plate on the other end of the tunnel, it would trigger an explosive to collapse the entire passage.

"Go! Please. I promise I'll come back to you."

Neo hesitated for a moment before giving her husband one last forceful kiss, and joining the group below. As soon as his family was a clear distance within the tunnel, Jaune closed it off and awaited the enemy outside. He could see their outlines approaching from the forest, the very one were his children played, and helped keep his home hidden from the world. But now, here came rookie hunters aided by the last heiress to the Schnee Corporation. Luckily, he set up a few traps in the meadow only he could remotely trigger. And once the rookies got close enough, Jaune ignited them by sending an aura pulse strong enough to reach the explosive dust beneath their feet. The explosion killed a few of the rooks, the others lost bits of their legs and were bleeding out on the ground. Winter had sensed the pulse beforehand and managed to avoid a similar fate. Jaune wasn't surprised how well she was able to detect his pulse, nor how easily she left her men to die while she lived on. Her reaction was a slight moment of confusion, followed by an agitated expression. There wasn't time to send for reinforcements, and whoever did this needed to be dealt with quickly. Though, just as she was about to go search the cottage in plain view, her target exited the house willingly. Her smile faded to shock, her mouth agape as the unknown's face turned to face her. For 23 years she searched, in those grueling years of seeking her sister's murderer, she finally found him; Jaune Arc. And just when, in all honesty, her hopes of finding him had almost completely dwindled. She giggled, in a somewhat whisper-like tone, and soon it turned to a full on laughter. Though, it was not of innocent joy, that much was certain.

"FINALLY!" She yelled out whilst charging toward the blonde. On instinct, Jaune managed to draw his sword, though just barely enough to shield himself from a fatal blow. Though the force of her strike sent him crashing into his house. Winter strolled calmly to her target, whom was arising slowly from the wreckage.

The young heiress twirled a similar rapier belonging to that of an old memory. "23 years ago, my sister was betrayed. And now, I have the pleasure of killing the bastard that turned coat." As she raised her blade to strike, she saw a smirk on the blonde man's face. For someone who was on the verge of seeing his maker, he had no fear whatsoever. Instead, he was facing his death with a smile which in turn made Winter cringe in disgust. A traitor truly has no regrets for their sins; she hoped he would grovel for his life, which she would still take. His divisiveness caused the collapse of an entire kingdom, and yet was still hailed as a hero by most within Vale's old territories. Even some elements in the other three kingdoms spoke highly of his role in the fight against a corrupt kingdom, though it was still controversial due to his betrayal. All the while the talks were cautious as government monitoring would censor anything that would instill another form of rebellion.

Winter hated this man, and when she finally had him in her grasp, his death wasn't going to be as satisfying unless she could make this bastard beg. He had no family left alive, he slaughtered his friends and there wasn't a soul on this planet that meant anything to him, let alone risk harboring him. In her momentary train of thought, Jaune arose from the wreckage quickly, and delivered a hardened punch to her stomach. Catching the heiress by surprise and bringing her to her knees while gasping for air.

The blonde knight towered her while removing a hidden dagger from his wrist sheath. "If only you knew." Jaune hated this, somewhat, but he had to kill now before she found the tunnel intact. As he positioned the tip of the dagger to run through her neck, he hesitated. Yes, from what he heard she was a monster, especially when it came to former coalition members, but she was all Weiss had and vice versa. Taking away her sister turned Winter into this kind of person. So, in all honesty this was his fault. Though, his hesitance would cost him, the heiress regained her strength and managed to lift herself up with enough speed to run him clean through. All the while also running into the blonde's dagger, the blade embedded in her shoulder. Both fighters glared down one another, though Winter was gleefully grinning all the while. She finally did it, the blonde's life was now about to end by her hand; Weiss's murder would finally be avenged. She could see her father with pride that his last daughter achieved what many in Remnant failed, the praises from all over would be abundant. And the once powerful influence of her family would finally regain its hold on the political world.

"She talked about you."

Winter's visions of victory were broken as she glanced to the dying blonde, she could feel his aura fading, but it was still enough to fight back. So, why was he accepting defeat so easily? And what did he mean by his statement?

"When our teams ate lunch together, she...spoke of you so much; it was almost like we knew you personally. Personally, I think Weiss was obsessed with protecting you. I'm sure she would love to see how much you've grown."

His comment angered her greatly as she twisted the rapier to further increase his pain. "Do not speak so lightly of my sister; you have no right to call them your team after what you did!"

Though, by doing so, she only increased the rate in which the blonde was dying. He smiled slyly at her words. He obviously knew something about Weiss's death that even she didn't know about, and that very thought was something Winter couldn't allow.

"I guess you could say...it applies to the both of us..." The light was already fading from his eyes; Winter removed the rapier and violently shook his body. "What did you say?! Tell me!" She shouted.

But the blonde was stalling, and at this rate his family should've reached the end of the tunnel by now. If the pressure plate didn't go off, then he would trigger it himself. He reached into his pocket slowly and retrieved a detonator. "The reason you hunt me...is because you want to find your sister's body...and bury her properly. Good luck finding her." His last words to Winter were uttered with a sly grin as he quickly detonated the explosives beneath them, destroying the cottage and any soul around.

On the other end of the tunnel Coco was restraining Neo, whom had found the sudden urge to return and assist her husband. All the while Emerald was trying to activate the pressure plate, with no luck whatsoever. Noa was trying to understand why their mother was in such a desperate state, and the huntress was keeping her from saving his father, all the while hugging his sister tightly as she cried softly. By this time Emerald was angered to the point that she stomped on the plate, this time, a loud rumbling shook the ground as the tunnel was beginning to collapse.

"Take cover!" She yelled out while running to shield the children, Neo and Coco ducked down as the walls within the escape tunnel collapsed, completely covering their tracks. Once the smoke settled, the small group saw nothing but dirt and broken pieces of wood. They were a few miles from the cottage, using their aura for added speed while carrying the children on their backs saved great amounts of time. Neo stared at what was left of her only route back to her husband. She couldn't help but wonder why he so easily stayed behind when they could've all escaped. Did he intentionally and so eagerly want to die? Or was he using some form of diversion to throw the heiress off their trails. All these questions swam in her mind; Emerald came to her side offering a sympathetic smile. "We'll see him again, I'm sure of it. But for now we need to meet up with this friend, it isn't safe for the kids out here, agreed?" Her words lacked any form of assurance, and to be honest, the three women had already assumed the blonde was taken down, but there was still a shred of hope. Hesitantly, Neo nodded, all the while praying deeply that her husband would return to her. Coco unfolded the paper containing the coordinates to their next destination, Neo assured the minds of her children were focused away from their father, at least for now. But Blake's constant asking of her father's whereabouts and Noa's pessimism was a challenge even for her. She could so easily silence them with a glare, but that would only make the situation worse. Emerald and Coco studied the map until a loud groan from the green-haired girl caught everyone's attention. "What is it?" The huntress asked, receiving a finger pointing to the near top of a mountain a few miles north of northwest of their position. "Whoever his friend is, they're hiding out in Mt. Runa. But this damn thing doesn't say exactly where, just that they live near the top."

If they hustled, then they would reach the top by nightfall. Although, a hike that grand and at their age, although not openly admitted, wasn't exactly going to be an easy tread. The small group began their long walk to Mt. Runa, all the while keeping their heads low to the sudden increase in air traffic from above.

Back at what remained of the cottage, a single bullhead flew over the flaming wreckage. The ID's of the rookies all pinged KIA, and the dismembered corpses near the edge of the forest were enough of a tell that the mission went awry. Only the heiress and the huntress were left unaccounted for. The metal bird landed slowly on the fields, one of the pilots got off and scouted the area. Just for a moment, he caught a glimpse of white beneath a pile of burnt wood. The man quickly ran over and lifted all of the degree off the heiress, her wounds weren't fatal, but she was unconscious due to the blast. The pilots immediately called for reinforcements, unaware of a pair of crystal blue eyes spying on them from afar. This wasn't what was in mind when the column of smoke and gunfire was heard, neither was the appearance of the new heiress. With faint expression of regret, the unknown took one last look at Winter before turning to leave. "I'm sorry." She whispered as her outline faded into the forest.

Instantly, Winter's eyes shot open, her eyes darted to the forest where the unknown had already faded.

"Ma'am, please don't strain yourself!" The pilot asked.

In all honesty, she didn't know, but that feeling just now felt so familiar. Almost as if...

No, that person was dead...or, was she? No, the traitor killed everyone associated with him, there's no way he would allow her to live unless...they...A sudden moment of realization came to the heiress, with the boy's power levels at the time, even if they were stronger during his betrayal, there was no way he went through with it alone and still be successful. The reactions from the students and staff would be swift and brutal, especially to traitors. From glory unto glory, the fore coming would be shame unto shame. It was then that she realized how easily the blonde turncoat disregarded Weiss's death, it interpreted to one conclusion, and that very thought brought tears to Winter's eyes as she covered her saddened expression with her bruised arm. "How could you?" She whimpered softly.

In the forest just a mile north, the unknown, although small in size, had been carrying Jaune's body with relatively little ease. When safely away from the military presence in Henan, the unknown gently laid his body on the ground. It glanced to Jaune, all the while with a single question in mind; was he truly dead? The one who singlehandedly crippled the hunter program of Vale, whom took personal charge of ending any and all who stood against the coalition, the one who brought her into the fold, who believed she was a worthy of herself regardless of her family's title? Small teardrops were building up, her usual calm composure was crumbling, he was dead wasn't he? Not when they were finally able to speak after their kingdom collapsed. Even after their fallout, he still cared about her, and managed to find her a place to call home in a land torn by hate.

_*snore* _

Nope.

Those sounds came from the supposed 'dead' boy's body. He was alive, and he was using the same damn trick they two of them used during the uprising. For a moment the unknown was thankful, and then almost just as quickly as she confirmed his status, kicked his sides. The response was a painful groan, followed by an annoyed remark from the woman. "Worrying me like that, I ought to kick you again, dolt."

Jaune glanced up; smiling widely as his eyes adjusted to the sunlight, and the towering unknown's identity was made clear. Her beauty, even with the passing ages, never faded. Snow white hair with light blue eyes, skin slightly paled and cool to the touch, yet scathed with the conflicts life threw at her. Though she had cut her hair, no longer the same length from the first time they met. But, her appearance wasn't what was troubling the blonde at the moment; it was the rapier in her hand that made the situation somewhat terrifying. Especially when the tip was aimed for his second head. It makes it worth noting that when they went their separate ways, it wasn't on easy terms. Or without a broken heart. The ill intention was apparent in her empty eyes as she lunged her rapier at high speed, only to strike the ground. His speed and reaction time increased, not to say the unknown was impressed, but there were other issues to address. Such as; revenge. While they were close, there was still the issue of never speaking a word to each other since the end of the war, 13 years prior, only meeting once, a year after the war ended, but with no words to share during the limited time together. Mainly an idea of the blonde man currently making treads to...anywhere that wasn't where she was. But, he didn't spend the bulk of his time in hiding getting accustomed to the nearby woodlands; his unfamiliarity with his surroundings caused him to either trip or get slapped in the face by a branch. Almost nostalgic in a way, though fond memories were not something he wanted to tread into lightly. Speaking of treading, as the blonde finally made his way into an open clearing, a hand quickly grabbed the collar of his shirt and dragged him back into the dense woodlands. As he again disappeared into the thickets, another Atlesian bullhead made a flyby through the clearing and almost caught sight of him. Once the large machine finally passed, Jaune found himself weighed down by the unknown whom was sitting atop him. The tip of her rapier was now touching the tip of his neck. "Say it." Her voice now calm, yet slightly demanding.

Nervously, the blonde laughed dryly and responded. "It's nice to see you too, snow angel."

"That's not my name." She corrected him quickly with her rapier now pressing against his skin, her expression shifted to annoyance as she waited for her real name to be uttered.

"Princess?"

The woman again threatened to run him though, seeing as how she wasn't in the mood for games anymore, Jaune finally gave in. "Ok, ok. I get it. It's really great to see you again…Weiss."

When her name was uttered, she arose from her position atop him and assisted lifting her friend up. The two stared at each other for a few minutes before laughing lightly at their situation.

"It feels really weird to be called by my name after so long." She commented

"Oh, but didn't you hear? Weiss Schnee died in the uprising, betrayed by her classmates. It would be poetic justice if it were true, and considering what you did."

Weiss pressed her rapier again towards the blonde, though her blade was now directed to his heart. "What WE did, your hands are drenched in blood just as much as mine are." Playfulness aside, Jaune brushed her blade aside and sat down on a nearby branch. His memorize played back to the day it all began 23 years ago, when the signal to strike came. In truth, he had second thoughts even before running Crocea moors through his partner, but as he said before; his decision was made, and regret was a luxury he could ill afford. Then again, it was one neither of them could dwell on, for now time was growing close until Atlesian troops would begin marching the valley in search of the now confirmed alive; Jaune Arc. And no doubt, if she had any brain at all, Winter put the pieces together; Weiss Schnee was alive, and she was…is a member of the Coalition.

**-Nightfall- **

The forest of the mountain was treacherous and dangerous for inexperienced climbers. More so for those who had no knowledge of the terrain, Coco and Emerald saw glimmering lights near the foot of the mountain, possibly a village, or the survivors of Henan. Either way, they couldn't go up the mountain at night and the children were exhausted. With no option available, they made their way to the source of the light. What they found streets filled with bloodied and injured villagers from Henan, most of the seriously injured were taken inside what looked like the grand hall. Many of the inhabitants of the village here were hard at work tending to the wounded, though all eyes fell on the new arrivals. One villager from Henan recognized Neo and ran to her with joyful tears. "Madam Beildschmidt, thank Oum you and your family are safe!" Many Henan villagers who weren't seriously injured walked to Neo, most of them fully aware who she was, and her role in the Coalition, but used her fake identity to shield her from the hands of these loyal Valens. Yet, when their eyes fell on Coco, many backed away, unable to understand why one of Winter Schnee's mercenaries was with Neo. Only a fair few, whom she allowed escape approached her and gave simple thanks. Emerald on the other hand, although not aloud there were some who were quick to place the blame on her. Still, they shared the same persecution, all for the same reason. And the loyalty of the remnants of the coalition was still as strong as the few remaining Valens to their old kingdom.

It wasn't until a few minutes after their arrival that some of the villagers began to notice a missing piece. "Where is Gildarts?" One of the make villagers asked, some holding their breath that the one person able to reconstruct the Coalition would still be breathing. Neo's saddened expression indicated the worse, but Emerald was quick to react. "He's leading the military astray; they'll be chasing him in the opposite direction of this village. He said he would return after he loses the heiress a few good miles away." While it did bring some comfort to a few, a majority weren't exactly optimistic after the sudden Atlesian raid. Coco and Emerald took a glance around, the streets might be packed, but the truth of the matter is that less than half of the Henan villagers made it to the Runa village. Militia guards were already erecting heavy defenses by the forest entrance, along with traps within the thickets themselves. These Valens hated the Coalition, that much is true, but even they knew that there are times when an enemy can become an invaluable ally. The Atlesians would never give them their kingdom back, and the coalition were massacred equally as much as Valens who resisted Atlesian control. So in the favorable idea of not fighting two fronts, the two groups would temporarily ally when possible, and dive straight into battle together with unflinching loyalty. But, the recent battles made it apparent that loyalty would only take an alliance so far. Those who could stand were given a weapon and garrisoned any and all form of defense stations. Along with the small addition of troops, the militia was now seven hundred fifty strong. As a huntress with years of experience, Coco assisted with the defenses. Emerald did the best she could to train the few that would hide in the woods to strike swiftly and quietly.

Neo was left with her children on the city streets. Blake slept in her mother's arms, while Noa sat beside his mother, glancing towards the village entrance while praying his father would return. At the same time, his mind swam with the realization that his father is the infamous Jaune Arc, the greatest traitor to Vale, and the most influential General from the coalition. From what his aunt Emerald told him, the leader of the Coalition was but a mere shadow when compared to him. And although Jaune made it apparent that Cinder's orders and her position was above his own, the grunts valued the blonde knight for the fact that he would dive into battle alongside them. With his disappearance came an overwhelming sense of duty to avenge their fallen General. Which could possibly explain the major victories that followed up until the invasion of the three other kingdoms. Still, if his father was so important to the Coalition, and they were going to win, why did he decide to leave? Noa wasn't told the whole facts, but now he knew his family history and an itching urge to be an over watch to his sister emerged. A pair of feet stopped in front of him, he glanced up to see a girl his age with snow white hair, ocean blue eyes, and pale skin. She wore a stitched beige tunic with long sleeves, and similar pants all made by hand and from the hide of an animal. Her eyes were mainly focused on his hair.

"Pink." She stated.

Annoying? Not as much anymore, yea he was a boy and yes he had pink hair. Was he picked on, not after he settled the taunts, none peacefully either. Pink hair and a somewhat sadistic sense of humor, both traits he received from his mother. Though just as easily he angered girls whom were clingy to start with, and he had the ability to dress in drag and make it work. These traits he received from his father. Not exactly something he shared openly.

"Cute." She stated, only this time her compliment caught the boy off guard. He was used to teases and insults; a positive note on any physical trait he had was quite the surprise.

He scratched his cheek before responding. "Thanks...I think...you're cute too." His voice was calm, a testament to the many times he's probably said it before. But, it caused an abnormally warm sensation to burn in her cheeks. A strange feeling she wasn't used to, nor was she so eager to dismiss. For a moment, a pair of light brown and ocean blue eyes were staring at one another before the unamused boy broke the silence. "I'm Noa." He offered his hand for a formal handshake, though just like his father, oblivious to the girl's hesitance and growing blush.

"A...Adelheid." She shook his hand, though feeling the warmth of his palm made her heart beat rapidly. She instantly broke off contact "I-i-I have to help the nurses. Bye!" She bowed all too quickly, accidentally head butting Noa, then leaving unaffected by the blow she just delivered. The boy himself however was rubbing the part of his head were the girl struck. He groaned annoyingly, he just arrived in a new village and already he's making enemies. At least that's how he interpreted her sudden attack and need to leave quickly. He couldn't understand why making enemies was so easy for him, especially with girls. He glanced to his mother and sister, both of whom were smiling slyly at him, confusing the boy. "What?"

Neo smiled warmly, this child was indeed just like his father. Blake however was wondering if being this dense was some form disease, because if it was, her brother was in the fatal stage.

**And there is the latest chapter, ****_tut mir leid_****. I know this chapter took way too long, but my classes are demanding and I've had a major writer's block for this story. Not in terms of plot, but grammar and no constant repetition of words. I hope this new chapter met your expectations and I promise not to lag too much on an update. For future questions, there are a few secrets Jaune has kept even from Neo, and they will all come to light soon. Patience. Thank you for reading, until next time! **


	6. When the Sun was brighter

Approximately a hundred Atlesian grunts could be seen marching across the red dyed wheat field, a scouting party. The soldiers disregarded the severed body parts their fleets stomped over. The smell of burning and rotting flesh was strong; the corpses were piled on top of each other and burned. Though most of the officers now stationed in the Henan ruins were used to such a foul stench, even they couldn't help but cringe at the gory sight. The rooks were required to wear helmets with air-scrubbers to keep them from gagging too much. Winter was recovering within a docked transporter, an Atlesian military base was quickly erected and reinforcements were flooding in. The fugitive hunted by the three governments was still in this land, and now, what could've been the best news for Winter was now one filled with shame and degradation. For years she spent the bulk of her time hunting down the Arc knight for murdering her sister, but to find out she was still alive. How could she betray her family and aid the rebels that crumbled an entire kingdom. But then, it would explain how the rebels knew how to operate Atlesian weaponry after raiding Valen military posts. The question remained; should her father know? He already had the burden of burying the majority of his family to the White Fang, but to know that his daughter worked side by side with them to overthrow a kingdom would surely end the old man. Either way, now that Winter knew her sister was alive, there would be many questions in the days ahead, and just as equally; blood spilled.

**-Runa Village-**

By dawn the defenses were completed, and men were shifting between guards. Their arsenal consisted of six dozen machine guns, a few light tanks, three artillery guns, and about five hundred bolt action dust and tracer rifles. Swords, spears and bows were handed out to those without a rifle. Coco and Emerald finished giving the men brief training and rejoined the now asleep Neo with her children cuddled beside her.

"So, what now?" Emerald asked, unsure if they should leave the villagers so soon. Coco on the other hand retrieved the slip from within her breastplate and pointed to the dense forest of Runa. "I asked one of the villagers, they say the only person who lives on Mt. Runa is a woman by the name of Natasha. The locals say she saved the village from a few raiders over the years." Coco then proceeded to try and wake the sleeping woman up, while Emerald kept her eyes to the now guarded village entrance in hopes that, if the Atlesians attacked, Jaune would be here. As the sleeping woman awoke, she was met with the huntress from the day before, not exactly the face she wanted to see in the morning, but a new friend was better than an old enemy. She glanced around and saw how quickly the two villages came together to prepare for any attack. It wasn't common, but one of the best traits of these people; setting aside squabbles to deal with a much larger problem head-on. The light tanks were being moved to hilltops, their tracks creating dust clouds and making quite a ruckus. After waking the kids, the small group departed from the village and upwards to the hidden home within the mountains. The women had little to no idea what to expect from this unknown friend of Jaune's, perhaps the bigger question; was she also a member of the Coalition or a loyal Valen? With Jaune, there was no way of telling. The man had a knack for making friends even with an enemy.

After a half an hour hike, they saw the cottage hidden within the thickets near the edge of Mt. Runa, overlooking the entire forest. From this distance, they could also see what remained of Henan, now an Atlesian outpost. Noa kept hoping that his friends managed to escape, but judging by the carnage for which his mother tried desperately to shield his eyes from, those optimistic hopes crumbled painfully. When they approached the door to the cottage, no one could find the courage to knock. They didn't know who or what would be expecting them, nor did they believe a warm welcome would come from someone protecting Valens.

"Ok, Emerald, go knock." Coco suggested, Neo nodded approvingly.

"M-me?! Why not you?" The minty-haired girl protested.

"Because I got the directions, now you have to do your part!" The two began arguing, loudly, and annoyingly. So much that it caused Noa to approach the door himself, after all if his father suggested this person, why would harm come to them? As he knocked he heard a pair of feet running across a wooden floor, getting louder and louder until.

"Mom?!" It swung open to reveal the girl he met the night before; Adelheid. It only took a second for the girl to recognize Noa, and even shorter for another blush to arise. "W-w-w-what are y-y-y-you doing here..." No matter how hard she tried, her words kept lumping atop one another in an effort to come out simultaneously. Though just as Noa was about to answer she slammed the door in his face. Just then it opened again, this time the same thing from last night happened, she opened the door, bowed her head and apologized while also accidentally slamming her own head onto his and closing the door, yet again delivering a painful blow to the pink-haired boy. He turned to those waiting for him whilst caressing his wounded nose, all of them looked to him with sympathetic smiles. With an annoyed groan, he knocked again. Not outraged, but just impatient. "Hey, Adelheid, we're not here to cause trouble, my dad gave us a map that led us to this house. He said our parents are friends, I promise we won't cause you any trouble. So can we please come in, if not me then at least let my family in."

There was a momentary silence before the door opened slowly, Adelheid hid halfway behind the door. Hesitantly, the young girl allowed the newcomers to enter her home. Her whole life in Runa, the people always talked down on the Atlesians and Villagers from Henan, but last night the people of Runa helped the injured survivors. She didn't know how to feel about these people, especially towards Noa. Although only meeting him a day prior, she couldn't rid him from her thoughts. Nor could she account the motivation she had to so casual speak to him the first time. The newcomers entered, though Noa entered last as to have a quick word with her. "Look, I'm sorry if I did anything in any way to make you mad at me yesterday. Why don't we start over, I'm Noa Beildschmidt." He offered his hand again.

Adelheid was speechless, she never imagined him doing anything to offend her, although her accidental head-butts might've caused such a misunderstanding. And while she wanted to clear the misunderstanding between them, her hands were trembling when trying to grasp his palm. When she finally did, she shut her eyes and spoke rapidly. "MynameisAdelheid! Nicetomeetyou!" This time, before she bowed, the girl made sure she didn't have another 'accident'. She couldn't face him in the eye, and she tried to end their conversation quickly; yep, she hated him. And he didn't even know why, again. Although for those from afar, this situation was all too easy to read. Neo had no qualms with a girl liking her son for the fact that the boy was so dense he'd never be able to respond properly. Blake was thinking of what kind of cliché romance scenarios she could play out this time; all the while the two women were surprised the boy inherited such an unfortunate trait from his father.

Though for the most part of the day, they all sat in the living room and conversed. It was quite an unusually seating arrangement, there were three couches in the living; counting down the seats from three to one. Coco sat in the lone couch. Emerald, Neo and Blake sat on the three person couch, leaving the last two seats to the already tense kids. Noa and Adelheid sat beside each other, though in the moments that for some reason they bumped ever so slightly, Noa would tense up, and Adelheid would blush lightly. It was kind of cute, and to be fair Noa didn't have many close female friends. Truthfully, Adelheid couldn't say she had any. Her mother kept a firm hold on her lifestyle and the people she socialized with. She was never like this when her father was around. Perhaps the loss was more than she could handle, and risking her little one wasn't an option she ever considered. The women of Runa sometimes came around but the kids in the village hardly ever came near her. Interactions with other kids her age wasn't something she was used to, especially one this close to her. If her mother saw this, there's no telling how badly she would scar Noa mentally. All the while, Noa himself was busy averting eye contact with his sister, and especially his mother. While he could easily disregard Blake's smutty imagination, what he feared most was his mother's protective attitude. The only girls his mother actually allowed him near were; a childhood friend from Henan and his own baby sister. Noa stole glances at the girl beside him, she was cute, no argument there, but understanding how he continuously angered her was frustrating to say the least. He sighed heavily, too tired from yesterday's hike to ponder this problem. When placing his hands down on the couch, he felt something long and somewhat fluffy. All the while he was unaware of an increasing blush on the girl next to him. He continued to investigate this sudden soft fluff until he eventually pulled it, causing a loud help from Adelheid. Noa glanced to the deeply blushing girl who was on the verge of tears, "Can you please let go...of my tail?" She asked while avoiding eye contact. Noa stared at the object in his grasp, a long white and lightly fluffy tail. It twirled a bit before Noa released his hold; Adeheild caressed her tail whilst hiding her crimson red blush. "Pervert." she whispered.

"Big brother is a pervert." Blake stated, to which the women around her nodded with blank expressions.

"H-h-hey! It was an accident!" Noa argued, to no avail.

"Who could've raised such a child is beyond me." Emerald commented, receiving a nod from Neo.

"That's not funny, mom!" Noa shouted, though not too loud as he knew what would occur had he not watched his voice level around her, again. By now the boy was deeply embarrassed, combined with an angered expression earned a small round of laughs from the group.

These antics were new in this house, and in some way, Adelheid was willing to ignore this lewd act on the account that it was because these people knew her mother. And they brought something that was somewhat nonexistent in this house after her father left; laughter.

As for the women, they were relieved that the girl was a Faunus. This meant whoever her parents were, more than likely they were ex-Coalition too. "So, sweetie, you're a Faunus? Where might your parents be?" Coco asked.

Almost instantly, Adelheid's face went blank, though with the proper manners her mother taught her, she answered the woman's question. "My mother departed yesterday morning to the village of Henan. I haven't seen her since, and my father...he is...gone." Her eyes avoided any form of contact, and her words escaped carefully as if she tried her best to hold back her feelings. Noa picked up on her tone, she lost her father, and she was no older than he was. How cruel this world truly is, most of the kids he knew had either one or no parent. But then, in this day and age it's as common as a village massacre. The boy knew better than to tread on this subject any further. But those with him did not.

"What was your father like?" Emerald asked this time.

Noa inwardly face-palmed, although he wasn't quick to pick up on flirting, he could read an atmosphere enough to know when to keep his mouth shut about a certain subject. Before he could interject, Adelheid answered. "My father? He was really kind to me. He read to me every night, showed me how to forage for food in the forest, spent most of his time with mom and me. Sometimes he took us camping, and one time we saw the ocean for the first time. He kept going on about how he used to stow away in ships when he was young, and that was how he met my mom. Most of all, he made me and my mother laugh, and was like a best friend. Every day was like an adventure and my mother...she was actually happy." When she dwelled on her memories, Adelheid smiled widely. The fond experiences she had with her family when they were whole brought back a true sense of happiness. And then came the cold trip of reality. She looked as if on the verge of crying, yet managed to put in a brave face and pull herself together.

"I don't really remember much about what he looked like, but I do know he was blonde, kind of goofy, and got on my mother's nerves a lot. She used to tell him he was really dense about some things. Oh! My mom also said they went to school together for a short time in some place called Beacon."

A sudden violent and suffocating aura began emitting from Neo, whom was currently sporting a false smile after hearing the small description of Adelheid's father. Like those with her, she had jumped to a conclusion of who it was, though Blake and Noa remained clueless. Both Coco and Emerald had their doubts, yet we're currently trying to calm down the almost ready to burst woman.

"Adelheid, I'm home." The newcomer's voice brought a brightened sign of relief from the young girl as she hurried to the door to welcome back her mother. The others followed, and just as the woman entered, so too did her companion. Though the biggest shocker was the quick identification of whom she was; the undeniably familiar scar over her left eye, her calm and cold voice, light blue eye, pale skin and somewhat small stature. It was the long thought dead; Weiss Schnee. Her being alive even shocked Neo, who all this time assumed her husband had killed the heiress during the uprising. Still, when they all met by the doorway, both Neo and her kids tackled their blonde. Laughing as the small family was reunited after the events prior. Adelheid was slightly paralyzed when she saw the blonde man, she assumed it was...no, it couldn't be. Her wishful thinking was always asking for too much. Besides, the man lacked a certain feature she took pride in. When the pleasantries were done with, the hardened glares from Coco and Emerald came down on him. Followed by the blonde man's wife, there was a ton of explaining to be done. Sensing the conversation that would follow, Weiss gestured her daughter to take Noa and Blake to her room. Under normal circumstances, she would do so with nary a complaint, however, there was an overwhelming sense that whatever these adults were going to talk about, her father might come up. She stood her ground, as did Noa. Weiss was taken back that her own daughter would disobey, especially when she wasn't ready for this kind of topic. Again, she gestured her daughter to leave, but the child stood her ground. By this time, the heiress grew slightly agitated. "I'm not going to say it again." Her voice was cold, and somewhat threatening. Before Adelheid could again reject the order, Noa placed his hand on her shoulder. He gestured towards the door leading outside, she reluctantly agreed. Blake would've followed, but she instead left to explore the house, leaving the adults to converse alone. Within her knapsack was the book she hid before escaping.

When the two children were outside, and a good hearing distance away, Adelheid's calm composure almost quickly disappeared. She groaned loudly before kicking up a dust of dirt. "She's doing it again!"

"Again?" Noa asked while making sure she wasn't too aware of his presence. If she continued her little tantrum, he might learn a bit more about her.

"Every single time my dad comes up, she never wants to talk about him in front of me!" Small tear drops were emerging from her eyes; Noa had started to regret this. "Anytime I ask her to tell me about him, she changes the subject or ignores me completely. When I look for pictures of him, I never find a single one. I don't even know what his full name was! It's like she thinks we can be happy again if we just forget about him. Do you know how that feels?!" Her focus was now directed to Noa, it only took a moment for Adelheid's mind to process that she just had a small breakdown in front of this boy. Her cheeks blushed deep red as she cleared any form of liquid from her eyes.

"...I'm so sorry about that." Her voice returned to its calm tone, though it was wavering. She kept holding back the urge to cry, which puzzled the boy before her. Normally, kids his age would sometimes cry uncontrollably over the smallest things, even he did when his mother gave out her 'usual' punishment for certain broken rules. But what was this girl's reason for holding back?

"It's ok if you want to cry, there's nothing to be embarrassed about." Noa noted.

"I don't need to cry, I'm strong like my papa! He didn't cry when he died, and I'm sure he didn't want me to either!" She yelled out. "He smiled every day, and told me to live my life with no regrets. I've never needed to cry, and never will."

Really, is that what she believes? Well, to be fair she was young when she lost her father, whatever he was like before dying was a piece of memory Adelheid preferred. Still, it wasn't right for her to bottle these feelings, not like this. Noa grabbed Adelheid and held her tightly to him, her head buried in his chest. Her heart began beating at a tremendous speed. He, on the other hand, was used to showing this form of affection towards his sister. "You know, I think your father was strong, but not for the reason you think." Adelheid's momentary struggle from his grasp stopped as he continued. "Your dad smiled every day for you; even in death he gave you a smile. Do you know why?" It wasn't often she spoke of her father, nor did she particularly enjoy speaking to other people about it. Before she was able to cut him short, he answered his own question. "Because that's how he wanted you to remember him. He wanted to show you how happy he was to have you and your mother by his side." Small tear drops grew from the corner of her eyes, her arms were caught so she couldn't wipe them off, and shutting them tightly would only cause them to fall.

_'Please, stop. I'm begging you.' _

"You can't tell me that when he died you didn't see an inch of sadness in his eyes; the idea that he'd never see his princess grow up to be as strong and beautiful as her mother. Not being able to put a good beating into any punk that would take advantage of your innocent heart, walk you down the aisle, or see his grandchildren. I've seen a lot of it yesterday, and believe me the pain is unbearable for both sides. But your dad put on a brave face and smiled just for you. He didn't want you to remember him as a sentimental breakdown, but as the geeky and fun-loving father you grew up with. Crying is fine, but if you want; you can cry around me, I promise I won't say a word to anyone." By now Adelheid was trying hard to fight the already streaming tears running down her cheeks, her teeth gritted, trying to put on a brave façade. Her hands hooked over his shoulders, whilst burying a partial of her head in his chest. "Why?" She whispered weakly, near the point of breaking down. "Because we're friends, and that's what friends are for."

Adelheid's tears almost instantly stopped for a moment as a wide smile spread across her lips. Being secluded atop a village with having little to no opportunities to go out and socialize, having someone to relate to was a rarity as were friends in general. "...friends?...yes, I will take you up on that." Her head was pressed against his chest; his heartbeats were strong and calm. Just like her father. Adelheid, for just this moment, smiled widely.

'He really is a good person.' A sudden thought came to mind. 'I wonder if he'll mind...a kiss on the cheek. Just a friendly gesture.' She reassured herself.

As she removed her head from his chest, as if by luck, she caught his attention just as she was rising up. The boy looked down at the exact moment her lips were to touch his cheek, and at that moment time stood still. Both were in a moment neither was prepared for, nor did they know how to react properly. Yet, there was no movement, nor sound from them.

_"Chu~" _

Upon hearing the small eerie whisper of an unknown voice, the two quickly split. Both blushing heavier than before. Meanwhile the young newcomer was staring at them with a sly full grin. Two long white rabbit ears were twitching playfully at the sudden development. It took a few seconds before Noa recognized her unruly black hair that reached her shoulders, slightly tan skin, and eyepatch over her left eye.

"M-Mochi?!" Noa wasn't surprised to see this girl survive the massacre of Henan, but to think she found him so quickly. Either she asked around like a normal kid, or she went about her 'normal' way of getting information. Like Noa and Adelheid, this Faunus child wore attire made from the fur of animals. Though, known only to Noa and his father, Mochi's outfit was made from the fur of bears she took down on her own, without needing to touch them directly. But that little secret remained between the three of them. It was a somewhat long dress, reaching only to her knees with short sleeves. The color though was black, and adorned with red string that held the fabric together. Her only accessory was a necklace with a carrot shaped pendant. Her only exposed eye was a light shade of amber, leaving Adelheid to guess what the newcomer's hidden eye looked like.

"I turn my eye off you for one second, and when I turn back you're having fun without me." The girl's eye then glanced over to Adelheid, whom by instinct was slowly backing away from this newcomer after feeling a dangerous atmosphere surrounding her. "Hmm. But, I don't blame you, she is really cute." Mochi was now getting too close into Adelheid's personal space, so much so that the poor girl was still backing away, but not fast enough. "Don't worry I won't bite. Well, at least not much." She teased before a thick book slammed atop her head.

"Calm down you pervy bunny." Came from a small voice above them. All eyes were now on Blake, whom was sitting atop a large boulder outlined by purple aura. Adelheid stared in awe as she never expected a girl as young as Blake to have the ability to use her aura in such a manner. Though judging by how smoothly she handled this girl called Mochi, and Noa being unimpressed with her arrival, it was like they were used to this already.

**-Meanwhile, Inside- **

Inside the cottage, the silence was more unbearable than the fact that the blonde kept yet another secret from his wife. Neo had mixed feelings about this one in particular, she was glad that her husband didn't stain his hands with the blood of all his friends, but what other secrets did he hide from her? Coco was more agitated than anything, out of all the people she expected to see join the coalition, the heiress was at the bottom of the list. But, why did Jaune let this girl live, what was so important about her? Emerald kept silent, she knew the blonde had an informant that gave him secret data on the Atlesian weaponry, and for a while she assumed that perhaps _a_ Schnee was indeed his informant. Still, to think the snobby heiress was the second turncoat, and with a half-faunus daughter no less. Both Weiss and Jaune remained silent, not knowing whether to tell them the truth, or keep it hidden.

"So..." Coco broke the silence yet again, though she was more eager to discover if anyone she knew was still alive. Regardless of which side they were on, she wanted to know. "...care to fill us in?" She asked.

The heiress and the blonde glanced to one another before nodding in agreement; no more lies, the truth.

"The truth is, there were a handful of us working against the coalition after I became a member. On our own accord, we discovered that Cinder had a special weapon in her arsenal, one that could've turned every city in Remnant into another Vale, or Glenn. A dust crystal, when used at an appropriate time and place, can attract the foulest Grimm possible." Jaune explained.

"The Onyx crystal; the very weapon that turned the well-guarded city of Vale into the heap of rubble we know now. We were sure that if we waited long enough, the moment to destroy the damn thing would come to us...but..." Weiss cut herself short, remembering the split decision she made was weighing down on her even to this day.

Jaune decided to finish her part. "But she caught us all by surprise. When I said I had reasons for siding with the coalition, Neo was one of the reason, but as I stated, not the full reason. The main reason; was to destroy the Onyx crystal and take down Cinder Falls. But the woman started the war all too quickly, and we were forced to make a decision; try our luck at finding the damn thing and have the entire Coalition come down on us, or do as she said until we could get close enough to relieve her of it without notice."

"She gave us our orders, and we followed them. To be fair Jaune didn't kill everyone we knew...my team...and a few others were killed by me. Blake was the only that got away." Weiss nearly choked remembering how shameful she felt killing her team leader and her sister. Both were done quickly, but with much hesitation. Though she did lie a bit; Blake didn't exactly escape, Weiss could've killed her, but instead allowed her to run; leaving Jaune the duty to finish the job years later. "In the end, we finally got her damn crystal, but by then the thing was almost used up, and within a few weeks, the other kingdoms invaded. Everything we've ever done was in vain. So, we decided to go our separate ways, but to live close enough that in the case one of us needed a temporary shelter, we'd know where to go." Jaune added. The entire news was too for them to handle, especially Neo and Emerald, they never knew Cinder had such a weapon, and it explained how she was able to orchestrate the Vale incident. The two before them allowed the information to sink before another word was spoken.

"I just have one question." Coco pointed to Weiss's daughter who could be seen from the living room window hiding behind Noa whilst a bunny girl was approaching her with obvious perversion in her eyes. "Is blondie here Adelheid's father?"

The very question brought back Neo's dark aura, her false smile was more threatening than Weiss scowl. Though, the heiress was quick to interject. "No, he isn't."

Which settled ever so slightly the woman's deathly aura, but the question remained, who was her father? Judging by Jaune's initial reaction, even he didn't know Adelheid's father and was also awaiting an answer.

**-Outside- **

Blake had mastered a few aura spells, particularly ones that involved eavesdropping on people; mainly her brother. While she enjoyed watching Noa shield Adelheid from Mochi's perversion, she too was curious about whom the girl's father is. In truth, Blake was happy her father was removed from the list of candidates, but it would've been nice to have a sister. Before leaving the adults she left a written spell card infused with a bit of aura in the pocket of her aunt Emerald. With a similar one on her end, it could be used as a listening device. This little trick showed how much she learned from reading her father's books. By now, spells like this one were almost second nature as her aura grew every time she practiced. Such as now.

**-Inside- **

Weiss wasn't sure how to explain her daughter's father, nor did she think she could handle the memory a second time. While she did initially dislike him, as did most of the blondes in her life, he grew on her. In more ways than one would expect, losing him was hard, especially for Adelheid. "It was..." She hesitated for a moment, assuring her daughter was still preoccupied outside. Upon seeing her warming up to the bunny girl, she let the truth come out. "...Sun Wukong."

To say they were shocked would be an understatement, from the time they saw their interactions, Weiss couldn't stand the sight of the monkey boy. Though in all honesty to the women present, it did make sense when Adelheid said her father used to stow away on ships. Sensing the question coming, Weiss answered. "When the war ended, Jaune moved me here to Runa, helped me build my cottage, and then left to help the others who worked with us against the Coalition. After a few months, Valens started to settle at the foot of the mountain, and when I went down to greet them, thank Oum they didn't recognize who I was. But one of them did; Sun. He confronted me here in the cottage, called me a traitor and a rat for siding with the Coalition. Even knowing I was the reason Neptune was dead, he didn't take any form of revenge. It's Ironic how our personalities changed during and after the war. Since there was really nothing left to fight about we drank away our sorrows. And then after that…things happened. Neither of us was too drunk to just jump into it, but we just did. I don't know why we...did what we did; I guess the loneliness and loss of loved ones might've been the only thing that we shared. In either case, it happened, and when I found out I was pregnant, I didn't want to burden him when he was just starting a new life here so I kept it to myself. Oddly though, he continued to visit, we spoke from time to time. Mainly about our families and how the village was slowly growing. But that was that, nothing more. When my pregnancy started showing, I stopped going to the village, and when he came by to check on me...I didn't really have much of a choice on whether to tell him or not. He was mad, but only because I lied to him. I expected him to say he wanted nothing to do with us, yet it was the complete opposite." The heiress smiled widely, the warm memories flooded her mind, so much so she didn't realize the wide grin she was currently sporting. "He insisted we give our daughter my mother's name, he said I needed a reason to smile more. What made it count more; was him being there for every moment of Adelheid's life. He taught her so many things, most of them got in my nerves but it was all for the sake of making his little princess happy."

"So, what happened?" Emerald asked cautiously. From the little info Adelheid had over her father, she assumed Weiss wanted her daughter to know little about her father. Unknowingly, she was treading on dangerous waters, for Weiss's smile vanished completely and was replaced with a mixed expression of anger and sadness.

"What made me mad most of all was his biggest lie to me and his daughter. Hypocrite. Before coming to Runa, he worked as an engineer in a power plant in Havana, a city that was locked in a stalemate between rebels and Valens. When the Atlesians invaded, they didn't even try to identify the Valens in the city, and bombed everything. Sun was outside of the power plant, but got caught in the blast. His body absorbed too much radiation. Technically, the village doctor said he should've been sterile, but I guess we know the answer to that. He was sick, and never told me about it until it started to show. For eight months I had to lie to my only daughter about why her father was always tired, getting paler by the day and coughing blood. Adelheid was five when he died, and to this day I don't have the courage to tell her anything about him. She asks almost nonstop, and I can't say a thing without breaking down. I...I actually fell in love with him." Weiss broke down; this was the side of her she refused to show her daughter. The history behind the relationship between Sun and her, along with the added shameful history of her own family would be too much for a child. As a mother, Neo consoled the former heiress. The other two allowed the information to sink in. Jaune and Weiss went to great lengths, and paid heavy prices to kill Cinder Falls, only to fail miserably, and forced to forever reside in the darkness. Although there was key words in their stories that caught Coco's attention.

**-Outside- **

Blake was too into her little project, she didn't feel the single tear drop fall down her cheek. To lose a parent at so early an age and before her very eyes would be too much for any child. More so for the parents themselves, to think Adelheid's parents were on opposite sides of the war. And when she was the reason they put stayed together and eventually fell for one another, the recoil of the rebellion continued to take lives years after the fact. The hardships everyone faced in this world was overwhelming, making the contents of the book she recovered from her father's library all the more important. Sensing she had heard enough, Blake was ready to cut her signal with when a question from the mercenary woman came up. Halting any Attempt to disconnect.

**-Inside-**

"You both said there were others who worked with you, where are they?" Coco asked, with a somewhat sense of hope in her tone. Weiss herself had no answer to that seeing how she cut all contact with them, yet remained in contact with Jaune. Being the only one who knew the fate of their allies, the blonde shared what he knew. Before that though, he gestured to the bunny girl outside obsessively hugging Noa while Adelheid was trying to pry her away. "There were four of us, Weiss and I are human so we couldn't gain much trust in Cinder's White Fang, Sun and Blake's identities were compromised when they snuck into that warehouse so we only had one more Faunus friend to ask for help. When the war ended, I found them a few clicks south of here, in Tigris. But not in the state I wanted to see them in."

Coco skeptically glanced to the rabbit Faunus, the girl was so active and cheerful, unlike those she once knew.

Jaune continued "The village was attacked by Atlesians, and both were dead when I arrived. In their arms, guarded tightly within an embrace was _her_." All eyes fell on Mochi, by now Adelheid had finally pried her away from Noa, yet was currently running from the girl as she could sense perversion again.

"I took her to Henan, and left her in the care of a close friend of mine. My children call her Mochi, though her name is Eirin Inaba." Jaune stated.

"Ok, where are you going with this?" Coco asked, her eyes darting back and forth from the blonde to girl now known formally as Eirin.

"Because Inaba isn't her family name…" He paused for a moment, sighed heavily, and finished. "…her birth name is Eirin Scarlatina."

**I've kept my word…for once. To answer the questions I'm guessing a few of you had from the last chapter, this chapter will hopefully cover them, but if there are any left unanswered please do not hesitate to ask. Thank you for reading. Auf Vierdersehen!**


	7. To Become Hunters

**Not much to say except I hope you're all enjoying your summer break…which is the least I can say for myself. Anyway, here is the new chapter, hope you can spot the few reference points later on.**

There had yet to be any sign of Military forces coming towards Runa, and not that it wasn't good news, but one could only wonder what the Atlesians were planning. Still, it gave the villagers enough time to move most of the injured into the fallout shelters. Any man or woman who could hold a weapon was stationed somewhere in the village, even the eldest children were put to work. They were either tending to the wounded, or acting as scouts on the watch towers. All the while, those within the cottage in the mountain thickets we're currently having their own falling out. A few secrets reveled this day were ones with more meaning than what they expected. To recap what was revealed; Adelheid is half Faunus, her father being Sun Wukong, a former ally of her mother. The woman named Natasha was indeed the once thought dead Weiss Schnee, yet what was more shocking was her involvement in the Coalition uprising. Afterwards came the truth behind the shifting sides, and the Onyx crystal; a dust crystal that, so far, only seems to attract Grimm. Its effects were devastating, Vale being a testament to its power. Yet what led to the current argument was who Mochi's parents were, and what led to their involvement in the fight. Coco herself was without a doubt happy her teammates stuck together as they usually did, but to think they would lie to her and go ahead with the plan even when it meant going against their own families. Velvet and Yastuhashi came from respected families in their homelands, so knowledge of them being in the Coalition, and finding the child left behind by the two of them would create a massive hunt by both the families and the Atlesians. So when Jaune asked her to keep this secret between them, reluctantly she accepted. But that didn't mean she wouldn't approach the little one in an attempt to connect with what remained of her long gone teammates.

Unbeknownst to them, however, their little conversation was being observed by a guest, she too decided to keep this secret to herself. While well aware how relentlessly Mochi researched her origins, something like this would more likely harm her than help. Still, the name Scarlatina was familiar, perhaps reading one of her father's journals...which were destroyed along with the house. It would seem researching things would take a little more time than she thought. A pair of arms wrapped around her neck as she instinctually shut off the spellcard. Two floppy ears hovered above her head "Whatcha doin~" came a carefree whisper directly towards her ear.

Unlike Adelheid and Noa whom easily blushed at this invasion of space, Blake was used to this bunny girl's antics. To counter, she would act on the flirts, though subtly and with a blank expression. "Just thinking of trouble." Was Blake's answer.

"Oh~ my kind of pastime." Mochi's hands gently cupped the young blonde's chin and turned Blake's head towards hers. Yet she was now getting too close to the young blonde's lips, to which another heavy book slammed atop her head. Rather than showing annoyance, Blake merely grinned faintly and gestured her fingers to remove the book from her friend's head. "I told you before; calm down you pervy bunny."

Rather than raise her head and try again, Mochi kept her head down. "I'll never get used to that attack." She whispered, keeping her voice at a leveled tone.

"I wouldn't have to if you learned by now." Blake remarked. Upon noticing Mochi's arms tighten around her neck and what sounded like a small sniffle, the young blonde sighed and laid her head atop of her friend's. The tightening increased, though not enough to suffocate her. Whatever happened in Henan, she was there to witness it firsthand. Seeing friends alive and well lightened her emotions if only for a few moments. Eirin's adoptive father was the owner of the bookstore where the young blonde bought most of her collection. But not exactly how they became friends, it was through Noa. Being a girl with only one visible eye did discourage many social gatherings around the little rabbit, yet not enough to keep her pink-haired brother from attempting to make friends. The three of them grew up together, almost as if like siblings. But with the sudden destruction of their home, Mochi must be glad her only friends didn't suffer the same fate many others did back home.

"I'm happy...you're all alive...I really am..."

Blake too was happy her friend was alive, Mochi may've been clingy and perverted, but she was more like a sibling now than a friend. Although not showing it, Blake was thinking the same thing. After watching those Atlesians mow down the people in the fields, watching the wounded flood the streets with wails and blood, Blake began to lose faith in any form of peace in these lands. To kill civilians, especially those who fought against tyranny and injustice were more barbaric than the lingering terrorists of the White Fang Remnants. By now, Blake found it better to just expect anything and not react to it in any way. While many good things such as her aunt Emerald and her bloodline discovered arose from her father's revelation, more bad came from the world. It would seem the course of events were changing everyone, particularly those from whom secrets where hidden. Still, she had a plan of her own, thanks to her excessive love of books and easy access to her father's library; she stumbled upon a particular book with a spell she could use to 'fix' the current problem. But for now, she kept her intentions to herself, knowing full well her brother would only act on his overprotective instincts and remove the book from her possession.

After another few minutes, Mochi detached herself from Blake and went to 'entertain' herself with Noa and Adelheid, which in this case was constantly poking fun at the accidental kiss the two shared. Blake wanted to join in the teasing, but aside from knowing what her brother was capable of, and not knowing if Adelheid's abilities, if any, were ones to be cautious of. In these troubled times, children were taught to fight the minute they learned to walk. But for her, knowledge was perhaps her best weapon. Still, her wealth of knowledge would not prepare her for what would follow from the white-haired girl.

"C'mon, that was a sweet kiss. Do it again." Mochi teased, earning two very crimson-like blushes. Although a bit jealous Noa's first kiss went to this little girl, it was accidental and by no means did it signify anything special. So when the two of them rejected any form of affection, she took advantage of the situation. "Fine, if you won't I will." Her words were little tease as her face slowly closed in on Noa's. Her grip refused him any chance of rejecting her affection. Adelheid was inwardly panicking, for reasons unknown, and yet her body couldn't make a move. Just watching this perverted bunny in her attempt to kiss Noa was building an angered force within her being. Sensing trouble ahead, Blake quickly set up a personal barrier for herself. Reacting solely on instinct, Adelheid inhaled quickly and shouted with great force.

_"STOP!"_ What followed was not a simple pout, but rather extremely deafening and powerful sonic waves. Her shout went on for another few seconds until a large explosion cut her off. The aftershock left her in a small daze, though it only took a second for her mind to snap back to reality. What she saw, however, were a few toppled trees with both Mochi and Noa laying idly atop the ruble.

"Wow, what a voice." Mochi commented while currently trying to count the stars orbiting her head. Noa was passed out, knocked unconscious from the blast. Blake herself was unaffected, protected behind a barrier from the girl's powerful shout. She was shocked, and impressed. This girl had power, a good deal of it too, and if trained carefully it could keep her alive longer in this world. But back to the situation at hand, the girl with the gifted voice was currently panicking. Obviously this was a grand discovery for her, to have a 'unique' voice. In a way, it made her somewhat realize why her parents urged her to keep her tone at a bare minimum. She ran to her new friends to assure they were fine, though Blake was perhaps the only calm one in this whole mess.

Once the smoke cleared, the adults ran outside to assure the children were safe, though what they found was an unconscious boy and his bunny friend, a white-haired girl frantically towering over them, and the youngest of the group was watching everything unfold with a calm expression. Weiss had an idea as to what happened, though her daughter never truly caused this much damage in the past. Regardless of her own fears, if Adelheid didn't have control of her voice, she would end up unintentionally hurting people or worse herself. Jaune and Neo were both reluctant, but knowing the trials that would arise soon, they decided to train their children for the hardships ahead. Coco couldn't keep her eyes off the child belonging to her teammates, the small bundle of joy was perhaps the only outcome of the war that they felt proud over. Although there was bitter resentment for their lies and betrayal, it didn't feel right to blame Eirin for the mistakes of her parents. Luckily for her, she didn't know who her parents were or what they had done. Yet, who exactly did this child take over, Yastuhashi or Velvet? Eirin's personality wasn't at all what she remembered from her teammates. Or perhaps this was a phase one of them went through as a child themselves. Oh how much fun this will be getting to know her.

Inside, Noa was resting in one of the guest rooms with his mother and Emerald watching over him. Adelheid, Blake, and Mochi were sitting quietly in the living room, across from them was Weiss with an annoyed expression, Jaune and Coco were somewhat calm, though more curious as to what caused the explosion. The room was drowned in an awkward lack of voice, only the former heiress tapping her lap in a somewhat frightening pattern. Only Adelheid knew what followed when her mother did this.

"So..." The girls somewhat flinched, yes even after all these years Weiss was still able to instill fear in the hearts of the innocent. Much like with her team leader oh so long ago, though the former heiress wasn't so proud of that trait considering she wasn't mad at her daughter or her friends. But the atmosphere around her said otherwise. With a heavy sigh, instead she gestured for Jaune to interrogate.

"Listen girls." The blonde man started as he took Weiss's place while she sat down. "No one is in trouble, nor do we plan to scold any of you for the little mess outside. That can easily be fixed, what we want to know is how that particular mess occurred. In detail if you wouldn't mind." His voice was calmer, and more soothing unlike Weiss's cold tone. Not to say she didn't try to ease up, but speaking in that manner was her nature. Blake remained emotionless, though one quick glance to Adelheid's nervous blush was brought somewhat of an amusing smile to her.

"Well, you see I was try'na give Noa a chu~" Mochi explained, receiving a grin from the blonde man. Judging by his reaction, it was a common occurrence with those two, though an overprotective parent was always conveniently there to stop them.

"Again, huh? Were you successful this time?" Jaune asked, almost as if he was expecting this kind of outcome from Mochi. The girl herself grinned, though defeat was more the tone as she gestured to Adelheid. "Nope, the princess beat me to it."

What came next was perhaps the most frightening experience anyone present ever witnessed, Weiss's famous false smile was enough to give one nightmares for months to come. Jaune knew firsthand, though his nightmares lasted for two months after what he did to piss the girl off. Considering now that it was her own daughter, and with a boy she never met, it was easy to tell why the former heiress was royally pissed. More so, when she realized how soon and close they were when it happened. Yet what she didn't know was where the kiss was planted.

"If you'll excuse me, there's a soul Oum calls for." Weiss's eerie voice sent shivers down the children's spines as Coco used all the strength she had to contain the woman.

"C-calm down, Weiss!" Jaune hoped the woman would snap out of it, though one thing Mochi never knew how to do; withhold information that would only make the situation worse.

"Ya know, you'd think they would pull out on first contact, but it looked like they were enjoying their mouth to mou-" Mochi's words were immediately cut off by another one of Blake's books slamming atop her head, although it was all too late. The former heiress's face lost all form of emotion, only the poisonous aura emitting from her being portrayed he intentions.

"Death. I hear your calls for that sinful boy." Weiss was now filled with more strength than what Coco had in her, Jaune did his best to hold her back too, but the small heiress had gotten stronger since their last encounter. Her treads might've been weighed down, but her determination was more than enough to overpower her friends. Ever closer she approached the guest room, her hands eager to end the boy who took her daughter's purity. She would've been successful, had a large book not slam down atop her head, coincidentally knocking the woman unconscious. The book itself was covered in purple aura, allowing most to make the assumption that Blake was behind that little attack. Plus, it was sort of a trademark move of hers, not to mention controlling her aura likes this almost came natural. Either way, the problem with the angered mother was dealt with, now the bigger issue came to light; training the children for the future battles to come. Jaune took into account the abilities of these four children. Like her mother, Adelheid had quite the voice, although, perhaps more deadly if not trained properly. It would appear that her voice could be part of her semblance, but that remained to be seen. Blake was skilled at manipulating her aura from moving objects to casting advanced spells, though the toll of what she witnessed during their escape would weigh her combat experience down. Noa had his own abilities, and while the boy was still a novice with a sword, his semblance more than made up for fatal decisions. And Eirin...once was enough to know that her abilities were not ones to tread on lightly, especially considering her personality. Remembering how she was able to take down a group of bears they encountered a while back, all without needing to touch them. Jaune knew how much potential Eirin had, though he also knew how intensively she researched her bloodline, hoping to find a piece of her past hidden away somewhere. The reason she always tried to smile was keep to her anger in check after the friend Jaune asked to take her in revealed that she was brought to him during her state of infancy. While she was angered initially, Jaune managed to calm her down by giving her journals that Velvet and Yatsuhashi kept after the war. Both of their names were removed for her obvious reasons, mainly so she wouldn't wander off. Any particular segments that spoke of the Onyx crystal or how it was lastly used were removed and burned after reading them. The content in those pages was better left a secret. Still, Oum knows what happened when Mochi lost her temper that day. In any case, for now Weiss was...taken care of, and Adelheid was doing her best to get along with Mochi, but that proved to be rather difficult with the constant perversion. Still, the book slamming did give some comic relief.

The next day was more or less peaceful after allowing Weiss to calm herself by yelling atop the mountain to her content. Thankfully for Jaune, Weiss revealed a few things she added to her home after they went their separate ways. Outside was a forger, complete with the anvil and smelter. Within her room was a false door hidden in her closet, built into the mountain was another large fallout shelter she and Sun built in the event that the ones in Runa were compromised. Thankfully, though, they weren't ever needed, and hopefully they never will. But for now they acted as training rooms, one though, the room at the very bottom of the base was sealed shut. Curious as it was, Jaune decided not to question why Weiss or her husband would've closed it off. Regardless, what was occurring now was something his father taught him, and what the blonde was passing on to his son; forging a blade. Both the intense heat and the welding was enough to discourage the boy, but his passion was the same as his father's. While the two worked, the girls practiced in the training rooms. Although, the entire practice was mainly dodging an endless barrage of fireballs casted towards them by Blake. Her aura supply seemed endless as Adelheid's stamina was running low the first half hour, Mochi was able to last at the very least two hours before temporarily submitting.

However, if these girls were going to survive the dangers of the world they were facing, Blake made sure their training went on. She continuously tried for hours to get Adelheid to do her special technique again, but to no avail. For some reason, she couldn't build up the energy she felt from the day before. There was one option to consider in this situation, but reenacting it would cause quite a problem. And while Mochi was perverted in many ways than one, she was as shy as Noa is dense. Being perverted was the only way to express her feelings on a familiar basis. The amount of courage she had for that little bluff was all she had in her. Doing it again would surely break whatever was left of her little mind. So, Blake had one idea up her sleeve.

"You know, I enjoy reading my family's books." The blonde girl began, her arm waved slightly, a boulder arose next to her allowing Blake to sit comfortable on it. "And there was one special passage about relationships in my family; before any of our own can find someone they can whole-heartedly say 'I love you' to, they must first receive the blessing of a sibling or someone in the family close to a sibling. But be warned girls, I'm not ready to give my brother to just any girl, even if that dunce is as dense as a rock."

Both girls somewhat blushed with Adelheid the first to respond. "W-what are you talking about?! We're just kids, there's no way we'd feel something like that towards Noa! Right?!" Adelheid turned to Mochi for support, but the rabbit girl was merely twiddling her fingers nervously while avoiding eye contact. The white-haired girl's only support crumbled, leaving the now strict Blake to strike.

"Do you think me stupid? I may be younger than the three of you, but even I can see how you act around him. At least Mochi is smart enough to establish a personality in which she can get as close to him as she wants without showing any signs, but you..." Blake glanced to Adelheid whom was now mirroring Mochi. "You couldn't be any more obvious." By now the young blonde had a headache explaining all this, and even then she knew these two wouldn't take her words to heart. Or at least not all of them.

"Well now, she's really coming down on them. And her vocabulary is just as amazing as her ability to manipulate her aura like that." Coco commented as she and the three other women watched these girls duke. Weiss was intensely annoyed, her little girl was growing up too fast, and the only thing that made her feel relief; Adelheid had feelings for a boy who was equally as dense as his father. Emerald was amazed the arena wasn't completely falling apart with Blake continuously manipulating the gravel to her advantage, be it a weapon or shield. But just as Coco said, the little blonde was a prodigy of another kind. Neo herself was feeling a great amount of pride watching her daughter so easily take on these two girls whom showed great promise beforehand, and with the bold declaration to not give up her brother for any girl. While it was somewhat questionable in the tone that she spoke it, Neo had full confidence her daughter knew not to cross certain boundaries.

"While that idiot I call a brother is dense on a lot of things, he's still my flesh and blood. I take these matters seriously; ask Mochi how many of the girls back in Henan answered my challenge just to win a chance with Noa."

Adelheid turned to Mochi for an answer, only to see the poor girl with eyes devoid of life while incoherently mumbling quietly to herself.

"Now then..." The girls looked up, both in horror to see multiple large boulders all of which covered in purple aura and the one controlling them sporting an unsettling smile. "Prove your worth!" Almost if by her words alone another barrage literally came down on them, the resulting blast shook the entire arena, though the sounds were only matched by a duet of frantic screams, leaving the spectators to guess how long the girls will last this round.

"So then, what exactly is Blake's semblance, if you don't mind me asking?" Emerald asked Neo with a worried expression. The pink-haired woman took a moment to think it over before responding.

"..."

"Really? Is it that broad or does she have limits?"

"?..."

"Wow, she really is something. Oh, and what of Noa?"

"!...!"

"Oh, well there's some irony for you."

The two women were somehow communicating, though for Weiss and Coco, it was as if they communicated in a manner unknown to understanding. The pink-haired woman made no facial tells, and yet Emerald spoke to her as if they exchanged actual words.

"Care to fill us in?" Weiss asked.

"She said Blake is casting elemental spells. But she hasn't discovered her semblance yet, so to make up for it she trains in using aura wisely in many forms of spell casting. So far though, earth is her favorite element." The minty-haired woman explained. "As for Noa, the boy unlocked his semblance; ultimate shield, the boy can convert his skin into a metallic like surface strong enough to endure just about anything. But recently his sister found a way around his barrier, and hasn't revealed to anyone how." Before anyone could respond, the stadium was filled with another large explosion. By now the arena's gravel and barriers were destroyed. Mochi and Adelheid walked away in defeat, both fully aware they had much to do if they were ever going to beat this little witch. Of course, these were their thoughts; none of them were willing to risk provoking the younger girl into so much as a fit. Still, both were unaware how scared Blake was when attacking them. Her intent was to provoke them into showing their full power, though they continued to hold back. Adelheid perhaps did so to not hurt anyone, Mochi was holding back because they were friends. This wasn't good, she hoped her little rant about her brother would incite the two to fight better, but all it did was prove their real feelings towards the dense boy. Blake honestly didn't care who her brother dated, as long as he was happy she was willing to stand by any choice he made. Though, knowing her mother and Adelheid's mom, dating wasn't going to be an easy thing with two overprotective parents literally hovering over you. Of course what she said earlier was true, there were quite a few girls in Henan who wanted to get closer to Noa, though in order to do that they had to at least scratch his little sister. Easier said than done, due to her father's immense library of dust control and spells, along with the added alone time she had every day, Blake improved her own skills by a great deal. Sadly, she has yet to unlock her semblance, but her customized spells more than made up for it.

Once the training sessions final ended for the day, Adelheid and Mochi were exhausted to the point that Coco and Weiss carried the two back into the house. Emerald followed closely, seeing as how Blake wasn't tired for any reason and the girl insisted on staying behind. It took a few minutes until they were all gone, leaving the curious child to poke around, particularly the sealed door. She didn't recognize the rune texts, nor did she have an idea as to going about breaking it. Breaking in would have to be her only option. With enough aura concentrated into her palm and backing away from the blast radius, Blake flung a ball of aura with half of her stamina included. The explosion was big, loud, and with an aftershock to knock an Ursa Major back. Upon the clearing of the smoke, the door stood in one piece, nary a scratch or dent. Her initial reaction was disappointment, though she couldn't help but smile. Breaking this seal would prove to be a challenge. Perhaps there were books regarding these runes in Adelheid's house. Taking just one last glance to the seal, Blake retreated to the cottage. It wasn't just her childish curiosity pushing her to discover whatever was in that room, but some strange form of power was attracting her. It was faint, and weak, but still there.

During dinner, there were mixed emotions amongst the entire table. Weiss kept a faint glare on Noa, whilst Neo did the same with Adelheid. Both mothers were justifiably upset their eldest children actually kissed, though luckily for the whole; Noa was as dense as his father and Adelheid was unbelievably shy. Neither of them would consider talking about it unless the other mentioned it. Jaune was concerned for the both of them, he knew how protective Neo could be, but Weiss was a whole other story. Coco had started a light conversation with Mochi, small as it was they two seemed to get along well. Blake and Emerald sat silently, watching as the present mothers were holding back their need to resolve this issue. Not that there was one to begin with, the whole thing was accidental, and they had just met so a romantic relationship is still early. And yet, the way in which Adeheild kept staring at Noa until the boy glanced to her, causing the girl to blush lightly and turn away. Weiss felt a vein popping; she slammed her fist on the table, gaining everyone's attention.

"M-mom, are you okay?" Weiss tried her best not to lash out, but as a parent it was hard to imagine your child growing up, especially this quick. "Yes sweetie, I'm just troubled is all." Her words were weighed down, but her counterpart was doing a much better job at her subtlety. Neo was angered her son had gotten his first kiss so early in age, or at least that's how she viewed it. And more so the fact that she wanted her son to focus more on honing his skills instead of getting attached to unfamiliar girls. More importantly, in an attempt to impress girls, he'll begin to act cold and distant just to seem interesting. Meaning his affections towards her will stop almost immediately, her little boy was growing up too fast and the woman couldn't handle it. Still, her reactions to things were more subtle and calm, unlike the former heiress sitting across from her.

As nighttime in these lands played a peaceful assortment of nocturnal tunes with gentle wind, while all but guards slept comfortably in their beds, only one child was up and about. Blake decided to take matters into her own hands, those matters being the training of her friends and dense brother. She knew full well that a battle here in Runa was inevitable, but if she could give the others an added support to protecting their new home, then this little endeavor was worth the time spent. Using a new rune she learned from the books within the house, she summoned multiple golems to begin forging weapons, others were focused on helping her customize the arena. These types of stone men used up very little aura, and were somewhat dim, but reliable and loyal only to the strong. While these creatures did their job, Blake researched anything she could on enchantment spells that could work accordingly to the respective wielders of the weapons these things were creating. In mere hours, the golems returned to Blake with three weapons. One of them wasn't made by them, she could tell by the craftsmanship, the third weapon; the longsword was her brother's work from the day before.

"Good, your job is done." With a twirl of her finger the runes on the golems disappeared, allowing the beasts to literally fall apart. She didn't realize it yet, but Blake was beginning to lose any form of sentiment. Who could blame her? Watching her people, her friends cut down so mercilessly by the government that was supposed to be protecting them. All for the fact that they were once part of a rebellion. Yes, after dinner Blake sifted through most of books in Weiss's library, especially ones that were in a locked drawer. Lock picking wasn't a specialty of hers, but fixing the components inside the lock to open up for a short amount of time didn't hurt anyone. The journals within informed her of everything her father and his allies in the shadows went through to accomplish their goals. There were only four mentioned in the journals, but implications of more members were vaguely apparent. Perhaps the most surprising were the ciphered sections near the ending pages describing the secrets within the sealed room. Deciphering them wasn't a problem, the concern was the content. It would seem that behind those doors lies the object her father's brotherhood sacrificed so many loved ones to obtain; the Onyx Crystal. The length of its power is unknown, even to the two individuals who spent so much time around it. And yet, here it was, locked away beneath a mountain guarded by the remnants of said brotherhood. Her urge to break down the door to see this crystal was overwhelming, her obsession to study its potential bordered dangerous levels. But, like all sources of great power; eventually it will begin to dim and fade. Even if she managed to test that crystal, it wouldn't be used at its full potential. Not to mention, there was a plan she had in mind, and with that crystal's remaining power, however weak it be, would be greatly beneficial.

The next day, early in the morning, Blake made sure to wake up the others discretely and bring them to the arena. Although they were tired, and still half asleep the small blonde made sure they were all present. What woke them up almost immediately was the arena remodeled into a forest theme, and all done overnight too. Moving on, she retrieved the weapons she created for them and handed them one at a time. Being too small to lift them herself, Blake used aura to levitate the weapons and give them to her friends. First to Adelheid, a rapier with a steel tipped blade, and hand guard. Though on the milky-white hilt was a flawless pearl, glistening at her. The white-haired girl examined her new weapon at first confusingly, and then with great admiration. Blake took this moment to explain why she gave them those weapons, and the power infused into them.

"This is your weapon; Dawnstar. I placed an enchantment on the blade itself to suit that ability of yours. Even with the little information I got yesterday, I was able to create a prototype at least. It will amplify your voice if you shout directly into the blade. Also, when you shout, try saying _'foss'_. Dawnstar will recognize you as its owner after the first use and will respond only to you."

Adelheid was hesitant, but as a child, more curious to see just how this weapon worked. Also, she wanted to explore her own ability even more, especially since it got on her mother's nerves that she had such an ability. As she was about to test it out, Blake stopped her almost before she tried shouting.

"Not yet. Mochi, attack her." The whole group stared at Blake, surprised she proposed such an idea, though what she held up in a moment was the bait she needed. In her hands were a pair of white undergarments. It took Adelheid only a moment to realize whose it was and blushed harder than the day prior. Sensing from it belonged to; Mochi smiled eerily and was aiming to snatch the pair of garments from Blake. On instinct, Adelheid stood between the two girls and shouted as loud as her lungs could muster.

"FOSS!" Her shout was absorbed by the blade and released with an unrelenting force, sending Mochi clear across the arena and nearly destroying half of the forest terrain. The initial reaction was shock, though more interesting than anything else. After all was literally said and done, Blake handed Adelheid's garments back. The blushing girl left almost immediately to put them back on, returning almost at the same time as Mochi, whom by the looks of it wasn't at all affected by her shout. Still, the three of them wondered how the little blonde got her hands on Adelheid's panties without her noticing. Blake hummed to herself before taking out a journal and writing down her observations. "Enchantment status: perfect amplification. Damage effects: needs work. Ok, Mochi, you're next." The bunny girl's face brightened as Blake retrieved a Warhammer twice the size of its new owner. The hammer itself was rectangular steel adorned with a gold spike for both ends of the hilt. The weapon itself was incredibly large, although, it was surprisingly light. Just like Adelheid's rapier there was a gem imbedded into both sides of the hilt; a flawless crimson garnet in the shape of a teardrop.

"This is your weapon; Dain. The enchantment on this weapon helps you draw energy from...your main power source. It'll never weigh you down, and its damage is as dangerous as your perversion." Blake made sure to watch her words, unaware to her father, she observed Mochi in her rage stage. While she herself was fearful of Mochi's power, her enchantment on Dain would allow the bunny girl to draw power wisely, and keep Blake updated on any changes in her mood. Mochi twirled her new weapon around effortlessly. Her expression sported an eerie smile; she slammed Dain down hard enough to crack the concrete beneath her feet. Her smile growing ever wider.

Now, her brother was waiting patiently, especially since he noticed his longsword with the gemstone attachment. Blake took her time explaining the concepts of Mochi's weapon for the reason that the girl was too eager to try out her new toy. After a few minutes, Blake focused her attention on her brother. For him though, she retrieved his weapon with her own hands. She struggled at first, nearly tripping at first before finally handing her brother his weapon in hand. His longsword was the same as when he created it, though embedded into the blade itself was a dark blue, smooth-cornered, square sapphire gem.

"Noa, this is; Claidheamh Mòr. Most of my aura went into this gem, and it will respond only those who share blood with me. The enchantment on this blade is something I'm going to keep to myself for now, brother. It's something of a failsafe in the case of a drastic event. I'm praying it won't happen, but nonetheless it's better to be safe than sorry. Also, take into account the limits of your ultimate shield. You may be impervious to any physical damage, but that doesn't mean you'll withstand anything." Noa was a bit disappointed, and worrisome his sister didn't explain the enchantment on his weapon, but decided to not question it for now. Instead, he and the other girls wondered how this little blonde girl was able to forge and enchantment these weapons in less than a night. As a brother, Noa felt proud and fearful his sister wouldn't respect the limits her growing power entails. Both Adelheid and Mochi were thankful for these gifts, but were amazed as to how she was able to create these modify them for personal uses.

"Alright, on to more important matters." Blake directed her attention to the forest, the dense tree thickets were just as eerie as Mochi's perverted grin, but the rustling branches gave them a hint of fear. "Within this forest is an artifact near the center of the arena. I've created a few golems to guard the item, and a few others to wander about freely. The task is easy; we four will head in and retrieve the artifact, once it's removed from the pedestal the runes on my golems will disperse. If we want this to end quickly, then I suggest we work as a team. This is the rightful passage for anyone aiming to claim the title." Blake stated.

"Um, what title would that be exactly?" Adelheid asked, hiding behind Noa, refusing to step foot in the artificial forest.

To answer her question, Blake gave her a simple answer. "To become hunters."

**And that is that for this chapter. Summer school is early, and a drag, but luckily it isn't all summer so I should be able to work on this and my other stories. Thank you for reading!**


	8. A Price to Pay

In a short amount of time, the small group of children redressed themselves out of their sleeping garments and into battle attire, no heavy ornaments of course, this was merely a beginners training. The Noa wore a black, cotton shirt with red pants and, to his luck, Jaune's old armor which somehow fit the boy well. The pink-haired boy made a few adjustments of course, relocating the left spauldron to the right; leaving his left arm unprotected, yet his right arm could act as a shield with the added metal. Adelheid wore blue pants with a button white shirt, though she kept the button shirt open, revealing a white muscle shirt underneath. One particular trait she had was the lack of...volume and height, same as her mother in her youth.

"What're you looking at?" Adelheid asked as she glanced at her cloths looking for an abnormality.

To which Noa glanced away. "Uh, nothing." He responded, in complete honesty.

Still, Adelheid's lack of steel allowed for more agile movements on her part. Though, Noa was unsure how to feel with stone golems roaming about aimlessly in that artificial forest. As an added insurance, he equipped a small wooden shield to his right arm. Not exactly the best form of protection against a golem, but it gave him a calmer mind. Adelheid pulled her hair back, though a few strands flowed freely over her face. She also wore leather braces, accompanying her attire were small quivers of throwing knives around her waist. Not entirely certain how those would work on stone Golems, though, Noa had no reason yet to question her weapon choice. Next to come up was Mochi, unlike her friends she wore her simple black dress, but to accompany her attire was a small caplet, she almost looked like a priest. She swung her hammer around a few times; her eagerness to test it out was the complete opposite of a priest. Lastly was Blake, though her attire was far different than her friends. She wore what seemed like a long silk dress dyed violet, a caplet reaching just past her chest, and a Jade circlet with two small rectangular emerald stones and an Onyx stone adorned between them. While only Blake knew what the middle gem stood for, the others assumed her circlet was just for decoration.

"I thought she was the princess in our group." Mochi gestured to Adelheid. Blake smiled to her friend's comment; she faintly pressed her fingers against the side of the circlet.

"This is my weapon." She stated. The others stared at her in confusion, but knowing Blake, she probably has some sort of enchantment in that little crown of hers. As the four of them positioned themselves near the entrance to the forest, Blake pulled out a remote with a single button and pushed it. What followed was the sound of a clock ticking. "Ok, here's how this will go; we're going to be thrown into the forest so make sure you improvise your landing. Head for the center, that's where the artifact is. When you land the first person you make eye contact with is your partner."

"For what, this test?" Adelheid asked. To which Blake shook her head with a sly smile, "For life."

Both Mochi and Adelheid stiffened, whoever they make eye contact with first will be their combat partner for the rest of their lives. Secretly, the two made a plan of whom to search for when this began. But it was until their minds were made up did they realize what Blake said. "Wait! Thrown?!" The two yelled. Before getting the chance to explain, the ticking stopped and four pads beneath them launched the unsuspecting kids into the forest. From the viewing booth, Emerald watched as these children were participating in the traditional rite to become hunters. The green-haired woman took out what was left of Blake's spellcard, and glanced to the flying child. She truly was something, to use her own aunt as a carrier for her eavesdropping schemes, so Blake now knew the whole truth and even with that, she kept it to herself. While she had the opportunity to show this to Jaune, Emerald decided to let the girl do what she wanted with the information she had because it was apparent she used her knowledge quite well. The day before this was a rocky terrain, and overnight she transformed it into a dense forest. Not to mention creating multiple golems was a well-deserved achievement. One thing she noticed about Blake was her 'weapon', though not sure how a circlet could be used in combat, what caught her attention were the gems adorned to it. The emeralds were puzzling, and somewhat nice, but the onyx gem did raise a red flag as to how much she knew in regards to yesterday's conversation.

As the four were free falling into the forest, the emotions were mixed. Blake was somewhat calm, Mochi was laughing hysterically; her tone was a mixture of fear and excitement. Adelheid had fear written all over her face as the distance between the ground and her grew ever closer. Noa was concerned, though; the upcoming tree lines presented a perfect landing opportunity. Once they were nearing the ground, each of them deployed their methods of landing. The gems on Blake's circlet began glowing; a large chunk of earth burst out of the ground and provided a landing stone, hovering above the ground rather than create an impact. Mochi used her hammer to act as her landing cushion; using the tree branches as brakes. She burst through a few bushels before landing, or more correctly, crashing into the northern end of the forest. Noa had the same strategy, though he himself used his shield, embedded with aura, to break through the thickets and crash on the western half of the forest. Adelheid, sadly, was launched unprepared and her mind was scrambled with what to do in this situation. Luckily for her, or perhaps unluckily, she landed on a large tree that cushioned her fall, but for the moment she was entangled within the vines. Every moment she struggled for freedom was in vain, indicating that her predicament only grew worse.

From the booth, Emerald was impressed, somewhat, by their methods. Blake's circlet must be used to store aura, or perhaps enhance her abilities, either way she was handy in forging and strategy. Which is the opposite of what she could say for Adelheid, the girl was lucky to be caught between vines rather than landing face first into a tree. As for the other two, using their weapons as landing gear was resourceful, and their aura levels were low so conserving their strength before a fight was a good plan. Perhaps for the only time in her life, Emerald was glad to see the idea of hunters and huntresses returning to Vale. Her only concern was that only four were willing to take on that title while others would shy away in hopes that their lives won't be targeted by the Atlesians. The cameras around the arena allowed for multiple views and angles to track their progress, though what remained to be seen was how these kids fought as a team.

Adelheid was currently trying to free herself from the grasp of the vines, though when she landed her sword fell to the ground and was not exactly within reaching distance. And yet no matter how much she struggled, her entanglement worsened.

"Why did I agree to this?" She pondered why she was so quick to join Blake's idea of becoming a huntress, perhaps in the hopes that it would get on her mother's nerves. Or maybe it was on the premise of escaping the old and doing something new. To her relief, she heard footsteps approaching, though her breath was cut short as those faint steps became heavy thuds followed by a loud mumble. She glanced up to see a face with a pair of empty, stone eyes. The golem's left arm was fashioned to appear as though it were a hammer, while the right looked more like a normal hand. Its blank, unreadable expression made this situation all the more frightening due to the fact that she couldn't tell what it was going to do. Either ignore her or set her free; both preferable alternatives to treating the trapped child as a piñata. The two stared at one another in awkward silence before the golem made a loud mumble and raised its hammer arm. Adelheid was panicking, if she didn't act quickly this thing was going to literally smack her around, or his first blow could be all that needed to be done. Before the hammer came down on her, a silhouette charged from the thickets and bashed the golems head, cracking the surface of the rune atop its head, thus disabling the beast entirely. It literally crumbled to pieces, allowing Adelheid to sigh in relief. Her savior approached and swiftly cut the vines atop her, thus allowing the child to be free and hit the ground with a thud. Painful was the landing, but free and safe from the golem made it a small price to pay.

"You ok?" Adelheid glanced up to see a pair of light brown eyes and a somewhat dorky grin. The white-haired girl couldn't tell, but her expression was an extremely gleeful grin. It would seem the divines were on her side, her first contact was Noa and he saved her no less. After taking a moment to relish in her victory, a hand offered her up. Happily, she accepted, though being the dense boy he was, Noa was utterly confused as to why she was so happy after almost being a golem's whacking sack.

Emerald smiled slyly, she knew full well how the mothers of these two would react, more so if they were watching this moment. Still, it was nice to see Noa starting off with a better impression and set of skills than his father when the man attended Beacon. She flipped the cameras to view the progress of the other two, which is to say they had yet to meet but we're having some fun.

Mochi's landing attracted three golems to her location, although, these stone men were slow, not entirely bright, and their weak spot was directly atop their heads; their runes. Mochi was having a fun time swinging her hammer and knocking them down. Her attacks, however, were not aimed at their heads so they just kept getting up no matter the cracks in their bodies. Still, the girl continued to smack the stone men around, unaware of one approaching from behind.

"C'mon is that the best you got. Surprise me with somethin'." Mochi exclaimed as her last strike destroyed a golem's leg. Almost as if by her words, the fourth golem mumbled loudly behind her. The bunny girl turned her head to see the stone beast with its hammer-hand raised to swing.

"Clever girl." Mochi whispered before receiving the hit dead-on. Her body was sent flying across the open plain until she crashed against a tree. A bit of blood trickled from her mouth, she was surprised, and slightly entertained. She tried to raise herself up, yet felt a stinging pain in her left arm, she tried moving it, but the pain was excruciating. While taking a moment to collect her thoughts four long shadows hovered over her. She glanced up to see the golems, given the added time, were completely regenerated. She was careless, and clearly outmatched, her weapon knocked away from her and she couldn't move her left arm. Obviously she still needed ways to go, but for now "Okay, I give." She announced, though the golems merely stood emotionless, mumbling softly, and then the fourth raised its hammer for another strike. Mochi barely had enough time and energy to move before the hammer came down on her. "Hey! I said I give!" She shouted, though the stone men nearly ignored her surrender and continued pursuing her with the intent to completely eliminate her. At that moment, all the fun in this test was lost, fear began to solely dominate Mochi's mind. Her legs were sore from slamming against the tree, and her vision was slightly foggy as it changed constantly from clear to groggy. But at the moment, all she knew was to escape the golems trying to kill her. Every swipe was a near miss, though; very quickly her stamina was being drained. If she didn't come up with a plan or at the very least escape, these monsters were going to pummel her to paste. She was nearing the dense forest, a perfect place to lose these bulky beasts. Sadly, she tripped on a rock and slammed down on the floor, yet with little luck, just as she fell, the fourth golem's hammer swung where she stood. Slowly, Mochi turned her head to see the four golems towering over her, all of which raising their hammers. For that moment, Mochi felt regret for many things, one of which was not saying how she truly felt to someone close to her. Just as the hammers were about to come down on her, a large boulder slammed down on the fourth's head, destroying the ruins and catching the attention of the other three. As they turned to their attacker, three more boulders struck their heads, all crumbling as quickly as their runes disappeared. Mochi was surrounded by what remained of these golems, and the lingering fear that her life was about to be ended. Emerging from atop the rubble was a face that sunk her fear, and raised a faint grin.

"Careless as ever." Blake remakred as she made her way down to her friend. "You ok?"

"Peachy." Mochi exclaimed sarcastically. "But I think my left shoulder is dislocated, It hurts and I can't move it." The bunny girl caressed her left shoulder, the mere touch made her cringe in pain. Blake grasped a gentle hold on her friend's arm, and chanted "Pain, Pain go a-" and with a use of good strength, she forced the bone back into place. "-way!" Mochi cringed, crying softly to herself as she felt the excruciating pain all at once. "The pain didn't go away." She whimpered.

Blake planted a soft kiss atop the girl's forehead. "It'll pass, I promise." Using both hands, Blake surrounded her injured friend inside a small dome. Almost instantly, Mochi's wounds were healing, all but the blood was disappearing. Mochi couldn't have been more grateful, and more so now that she realized the little one was her partner now. But for Blake, her thoughts were pondering on why these stone men didn't halt at Mochi's surrender. She specifically designed them to be easy and allow the combatant to stand down. So begged the question; who are what is the cause for this malfunction. It hit her that her brother and Adelheid were still out there facing similar opponents. Blake used her aura to manipulate the stone heap beneath them into a living stone-turtle. Mochi flinched at the rise of another creature, though luckily Blake knew how to ease her when fear or pain enveloped her. "This one is mine; it will get us to the center faster. Rest, you deserve it. Take it easy and recover your strength." Although not fully trusting of these creations, Mochi placed a great deal of trust on Blake and had no reason, nor the strength to argue.

Emerald held her breath for that match; thankfully Blake arrived in time to intervene. This was getting both dangerously fatal and increasingly interesting. As she continued to watch the kids, another visitor had entered without notice and blew a small gust of wind around Emerald's neck. She yelped somewhat loudly before turning to see her guest. Coco was grinning widely, though it vanished as she saw the booth's screens. Some were replaying the quick skirmishes, one in particular showed Mochi's almost quick demise. After taking a moment to explain this situation, even Coco questioned the idea of children becoming hunters at such an early age. From what they were able to see in the videos, it was apparent who was ready for combat, and who wasn't. Noa was calm, precise, and quick in his attacks, paying close attention to any weak point his enemies had before striking. Although a novice in many accounts, the boy was well enough to begin adept training. Eirin was strong and brutal with her new toy, but her careless pride got the best of her this time. Had Blake not intervened, the cost would've been fatal. Adelheid had yet to partake in any form of combat, though judging by her powered shout when receiving her weapon proved she might make a good candidate for adept training, if her meekly attitude didn't halt her progress. And lastly, there was Blake, inarguably the most unique of the bunch, as well as the most frightening. Not only did she forge two weapons for her teammates, she also modified them to enhance their personal abilities. What worried the Vale Veteran was the fact that Blake knew about Eirin's parents and the Onyx crystal. Although, after watching the girl use her aura for such frightening techniques and spells, Coco preferred it if Jaune and Neo handled their child.

Mochi had fallen asleep atop the stone turtle, her snores were soft and her wounds were nearly healed completely. And yet, it wasn't even five minutes since the two set off to find their friends in this forest. Blake continued to worry over what interfered with her golems, it wasn't the first time she summoned simple ones like these, but never did they disobey an order she gave. Was she abusing her powers, was she really in control? Luckily, she placed a failsafe for these golems; all of their ruins would disperse as soon as the artifact in the middle of the forest was removed from its pedestal. With any luck, they'll reach the artifact before any more 'accidents' occur. As of now, it was apparent that neither of them was ready to take up arms and fight. Noa and Blake were trained by their father, but even then the experience was nothing compared to the adults. Mochi and Adelheid were the only ones with very little training experience. As their ride made good headway, a small rustle nearby caught Blake's attention. What emerged soothed her breathing; Adelheid and Noa arose from the thickets, both somewhat dirty and with twigs in their hair.

"Hey sis, mind if we join you two?" Noa asked while scratching the back of his head nervously. Now that the four were together, the small walk to the center would be the final step of their test. Noa and Adelheid were worried upon seeing Eirin with small trickles of dried up blood near her mouth. Blake did explain of course, though the two with her were beginning to question the nature of this test. As the stone turtle made its way to a clearing, a small pedestal could be seen amidst an open plain. Atop it was a single stone object in the form of dagger. The pedestal itself was surrounded by four large spires.

And yet, there weren't any golems guarding it. Blake sensed a few nearby, but none were the ones she assigned to protect the artifact. Things weren't right, Mochi was still recovering from her wounds, and Adelheid wasn't exactly capable for battle yet. "Princess, watch Mochi. Noa, with me." Blake wasted no time taking control of this little team, while doing so she undressed. Removing her caplet and dress, revealing another attire beneath. She wore what seemed like a dark shade of pink shorts extending just pass her knees, a similarly colored sleeveless jacket, though beneath it was what looked like a black swimsuit.

"Sis, what are you wearing?" Noa asked, somewhat worried over his younger sister's attire.

"Something mom gave me, but I made some adjustments." Blake replied nonchalantly. "Let's go." Without waiting, she used a small pulse of aura to push her towards the artifact. Noa used the same technique, but with the added armor his advances were shorter. Blake reached the center first, yet, she refused to so much as try to remove the dagger. Something didn't feel right, and it wasn't just the malfunctioning golems. Once her brother arrived at her side, she gestured him to wait before trying to reach for the small blade.

"What're we waiting for? Let's end this."

"Something doesn't feel right." Blake's worries were correct, for when her brother impatiently tried to remove the dagger from the pedestal; a stone hand caught hold of Noa and sent him flying backwards. The sudden realization hit the young blonde; these spires were altered, they were the golems. The grey spires broke off from their guard and formed arms with blades attached to the left beneath the palm, and pieces of their backs reformed into shields for their right arms. One attempted to grab Blake, though her instincts kicked in, and she quickly retreated. The golems, rather than follow, stayed on guard. These weren't ones she created, and yet they felt familiar. Using the aura stored in her emerald gems, she summoned two golems of her own.

Noa rushed to his sister's side, readying his long sword before she gave the signal to charge in. Though, the initial rush into battle was met with stiff resistance. Blake's pyro and aquatic spells were completely bouncing off the shields and surface of these golems with no effect whatsoever. Distance was her main form of attack, which works well against heavy stone beasts, but if her attacks were doing no damage to these things then she might as well throw rocks. Noa wasn't having a good time either, during his first strike, which was blocked by the opposing golem, another appeared from the side and used its shield to knock him away. A small trail of blood tricked down the side of his head. The golems his sister created, which were meant to aid him, were destroyed with a single swipe. Noa staggered for a few seconds before rejoining his sister. The two regrouped, and then tried a new tactic. Sadly, it ended same as the first; Blake's spells having little to no effect, and Noa being knocked around.

Meanwhile, Adelheid was left to watch over the perverted bunny while her partner was fighting without her. It was at that moment that a hardened feeling within her chest tightened. She clenched her chest, but had no idea as to how to react.

"Sucks, doesn't it?"

Adelheid turned to Mochi, whom had awoken due to the explosions coming from the battle. The young bunny girl gripped her hammer tightly as she watched Blake and Noa jump into battle yet again. "We have to stay on the sidelines and do nothing but watch the fight unfold. Not being able to assist the people close to you hurts, right?"

Adelheid didn't respond, but the words of her friend were true. Her hesitant trance was broken when Mochi picked her up and forcibly placed Dawnstar in her hands. "I don't know about you, but I'm going to help my partner before things get too ugly. You in?"

The princess nodded, and the two jumped off the stone turtle and rushed in to aid their friends with unflinching determination.

Noa was wavering as two golems approached him. His last failed attempt ended with his upper spauldron dented, and a few scratches on his unprotected arm. He raised his longsword and readied for an attack, though what came next was a deafening voice that staggered and confused the golems. It was then that Noa saw their runes through a small opening in their chests. With precision aim, he used his aura to dash at the open golem and strike its rune. The beast took only a few moments to crumble. The pink-haired boy turned to see his partner smiling at him. Though their celebration would be put on hold as the remaining golem recovered, and charged at them.

All the while, Mochi had smashed through the other two golem's legs, both tumbled and attempted to recover their stance with both their arms, leaving their chests wide open allowing Blake to strike both with makeshift stone arrows aimed precisely at their runes. The golems crumbled within seconds, and now the four could direct their last attention on the remaining stone men. As the four surrounded the last golem, Noa and Adelheid were preparing a distraction. A small rumbling sound behind Blake caused Mochi's instincts to glance behind them. In mere moments she dashed to her partner, and pushed her out of the way as a regenerated golem swung its hand and sent the bunny girl tumbling over the hardened ground.

Landing a few yards away, Mochi arose slowly off the ground. "Not again." She mumbled tiredly.

Noa noticed the fourth approaching from behind him, he quickly gripped Adelheid's arm and brought her close to him. "We'll handle them, get that artifact!" And without waiting for her response the boy used a great deal of aura to throw her towards the pedestal. As she flew towards the center of the field, the last she saw of Noa was him being smacked aside by a golem with blood trickling from his mouth. Blake was using her aura to conjure stronger golems, though even they were no match for these silver four. And this was taking its toll on Blake as her soldiers were barely able to hold their ground. Yet, her own resolve was dwindling as she watched her brother and partner knocked around with little effort. Adelheid landed a few feet away from the pedestal, her eyes were watering heavily as she watched her partner continue to stand up and try to keep not just one, but two golems from reaching her. All the while she saw Noa growing tired from holding them off on his own. With little delay, she removed the blade from its place. Three of the golems crumbled instantly, yet only one remained, and it was currently hovering over Noa with its hammer hand ready to pummel him. Mochi had collapsed to her knees from her exhaustion, she was currently using her hammer as support to try and stay up. Blake had no aura left to conjure; meaning all she could do now was watch. Adelheid dashed to her partner's side with a small aura boost, though when she reached them she stood with her arms wide open in between the golem and her partner.

"Stay away!" She shouted, but the golem had no intention of ceasing. It raised its hammer for one last strike.

The young princess gripped Dawnstar and channeled whatever aura she could into it. "I said; _STAY AWAY!_" Adelheid's amplified shout was now louder, and with more power. The golem shook violently and eventually cracked to its core, literally. As soon as its runes were destroyed, the last golem crumbled. And with that, any form of power or lingering aura was gone, allowing Blake to finally relax. Mochi allowed her body to completely collapse on the soft grass beneath her. Adelheid collapsed in front of Noa, her tears ceasing to end. The boy held his own against two golems, though he paid for it with many wounds and a broken right arm. The princess refused to meet her partner eye to eye, mainly due to the fact that his left eye was shut with blood trailing over it. Head wounds bleed a lot, but it wasn't a good thing to have little to no injuries and your partner nearly beaten to a pulp. Even though this was their victory, Adelheid felt bad towards the cause of his injuries; her not being able to handle at least one on her own. If not for her boosted momentary confidence, no doubt she wouldn't be sitting next to her breathing partner. Mocha was a beast in her own respect; no doubt she could handle two opponents at a time. Blake was more of a strategist, within time she could probably come up with a plan to take down an enemy. Noa was able to hold his own in a fight, and in this day and age, surviving was lesson not to be taken lightly. And yet, what special powers did she have other than shouting?

"I'm sorry." Adelheid whispered. "If only I was stronger..." Her words were beginning to drown in her own sorrow.

Her partner's response was a gentle press of his forehead against her own. "I'm still alive, thanks to you. Don't put yourself down, you're plenty strong. Thank you for saving me, partner." Noa's words helped, for the moment. Mochi joined in the comfort of still being alive by tackling her own partner. The two fell down hard, but laughed all the same, disregarding the pain.

In the booths, Coco and Emerald were breathing lighter now that this was over. The kids had plenty of wounds, but it wasn't anything these women wouldn't heal before the mothers had a chance to see. All in all, this was quite the test. Speaking of which…

"So they succeeded?" The two jumped as Weiss entered with her arms crossed showing a slightly annoyed expression. While she didn't approve of her daughter being so close to Noa, she couldn't deny that the boy was of good character. Still, with the trials that are soon to come, her daughter would need all the support she could get.

"W-Weiss...how long were you there?" Coco asked hesitantly.

"I just arrived, though what angers me is that the two of you didn't intervene. What about this made sense to you?! Children taking a hunter's rite of passage?!" Her icy scolding pierced through both women, flinching every time she made so much as a blink.

"Regardless, the test is over, and Jaune's golems should no longer be a problem." The former heiress added.

"J-Jaune's golems?! You mean those silver ones were his?!" Emerald was somewhat surprised, but Coco was genuinely shocked that the blonde had a hand in these stone beasts.

"Yes, he sensed his daughter's activities when she created these stone men. Sometimes children tend to forget who taught them to use their power. On the other hand, we only intervened when we found her in the lower level."

The two women were confused, allowing the heiress to fill them in, partially. "The Lower level contains an artifact we'll need in the future. But for now, make sure none of the children go near it. Now if you'll excuse me, I must go prepare breakfast. Please make sure they wash up." Weiss exited the booths and the mountain, retreating back into her house where Neo had just awoken. Jaune on the other hand could be seen in the field healing the injured. His appearance did worry Blake, but it also gave her a sense of relief.

The conversation at breakfast was filled with anger from the mothers, and small praises from the other adults. Before eating, Neo and Weiss chewed their children out, scolding them for going through with something so obviously dangerous. Then again, Weiss delievered most of the verbal discussions, but both were equally terrifying. Mochi was scolded by Coco, which wasn't as heated as the others, but still quite vivid. After which Coco and Emerald spoke of the amazing feats these kids performed, including Adelheid's last minute save. Weiss felt a hint of pride in her daughter, she was as honorable and brave as her father, but her sudden interest in Noa was worrying to say the least. Neo was a bit saddened, with this accomplishment; no doubt her children would grow up too quickly from her on. Her kids would be too caught up in their training they'd have little time for her.

"So, Jaune, of all our little hunters here, who should be the leader of the group?" Weiss's question brought all eyes on him, the blonde sat quietly in the hot seat. He took a moment to thing it through before coming up with the best candidate. "Well, Mochi has the courage, Adelheid has tenacity..." As Jaune's gaze shifted to his son, the boy was eagerly awaiting.

"...you have the fire in your belly."

"See, I got the fire in my belly." Noa boasted to his sibling.

"Yea, it's called gas." Blake's retort created a wave of laughter around the table, even an almost audible chuckle from her mother. No matter the circumstances, these two will still poke fun at the other for the sake of enjoyment.

"But, I believe Blake is more suited to be the leader of this team." For a moment, Weiss questioned putting a girl as young as Blake a team leader. Then again, Ruby was pretty young for a huntress too. This child is only nine; she still had ways to go of course, but could she handle such a responsibility? Coco and Emerald had no arguments to make after watching the test unfold. Blake wasn't the oldest, or strongest of the group, but she had much more to offer than age or brute force. The members of her team also didn't seem opposed to the idea, thus, Blake was made the official leader of BANE.

The new family shared a small moment of peace after removing the topic of hunters and huntresses from the table. Unbeknownst to them; Jaune and Weiss managed to locate a few survivors from the Henan attack on the travel back home and asked them to carry a rumor with them; a lie to have seen the infamous Valen traitor heading north to Atlas. With that little lie, no doubt the government officials will reinforce their borders and the military will be on a mass search. Runa was hidden within the thickets of the forest, along with a small protection from heavy land vehicles with jagged terrains. A small platoon of soldiers stayed behind to clean up the mess, but within hours the Atlesians abandoned Henan and moved north to track down the traitor. A feeling of peace returned to this valley. Even so, the attack left many without homes and with memories they would rather forget. The days of mourning would go on for another few months, in the meantime, the rebels and Valens worked together to fortify Runa. For many, they proposed to act on the rumor and head north to aid Jaune Arc in a possible coup, to break this land free of Atlesian grips and perhaps reform the kingdom of Vale. To those who were unaware of Jaune's new identity, their support for the once traitor grew to newer levels. While the blonde wanted to reveal himself to the people, it was best if they knew him as Gildarts, lest Winter returns and tries the same tactics she used in Henan. The villagers could at least honestly say they've never seen him.

Days came and went, with little sign of the Atlesians the people began to breathe easier. Soon, those days of Atlesian absence became months and soon after, five years passed with news of Atlas finally giving up on finding the traitor. That single rumor sparked a long and costly campaign. Most of the damage was done to the Schnee family when it was the new heiress that claimed she battled the blonde turncoat. Money and reputation was the cost for this family when Winter delivered to her father, in secrecy, the news of what truly happened to his daughter during the uprising. His money was invested solely on acting on any and all leads in the hopes of finding his daughter first, and taking care of her before she could shame the family name.

Thankfully, under the guidance of the former warriors the training of the small group progressed exponentially. Blake was advancing in her spells and creating frighteningly new spellcards. Noa and Adelheid were progressing in their attack patterns and strategies. Mochi on the other hand was quite the handful; her attacks were always quick and incredibly painful. Within time, team BANE became the first team of hunters to be formed since the fall of Vale. Their resurrection began to spread to other nearby settlements, inspiring others to form four person teams and train to become hunters. Soon, hunters and huntresses began forming again, independently around the many villages in the region. Some joined the ranks of Coalition and Valens in their raids against the Atlesians. Raids that started becoming successful again, and costly for the kingdoms. This development began to worry those in power within the other three kingdoms. Should these new teams prove extremely useful in their work with the former rebels and Valens, no doubt their next aim would be to overthrow the governments that wronged them. Such a revolution would weaken their current positions, and ultimately their populace would discover the crimes allowed by their leaders. It took only three nods and a single pen swipe to order the last decree; SCORCHED EARTH. No matter the allegiance, no matter the moral scale, an uprising would not be allowed to even come to mind. The order to finally eradicate every single remnant of Vale and its culture was passed. Once all the dissenting slums were burned, the kingdoms would only need to build over the remains. But then again, that would depend on if there were to be any remains left. And with the ashes, the proof of their crimes would vanish under lies of how the people of Vale died off.

In the five years that passed; Adelheid, Noa and Mochi turned seventeen. Blake might've been the youngest, being nearly fifteen, but her age wasn't what defined her as a team leader. She devoted most of her time to her studies, coming up with new forms of spells and keeping an eye on Mochi. The bunny girl herself would wander into the forest, often to test her limits on the nearby Ursa and Beowulf dens. Her little trips ended with a majority of the Grimm packs dead, and her returning with an eerie smile. Surprisingly, Adelheid and Moa grew closer, although, the boy was still quite dense. And the young girl wasn't exactly the aggressive type like her mother. Still, it didn't worry Weiss much that her daughter's partner was a clueless idiot like his father. However, he gained her admiration when he proved more than often willing to lay his life on the line for his partner. On various missions they were given, if the situation seemed to be getting out of hand, Noa would place his focus solely on assuring his partner was safe while disregarding his own wellbeing. By now, the pink-haired boy sported a few scars on his arms and chest, but looks didn't mean anything to him. All the while, every time Adelheid saw his scars, she was reminded of how weak she was viewed in his eyes, and how stronger she still needed to become. Neo and Weiss were both saddened to see their children grow up so quickly, but the training would help them in the days to come. Coco and Emerald did their best to cope with living under two frightening mothers, a man with many secrets yet to uncover, a child with a new stock of spellcards to play out, a perverted bunny with a warhammer, a white-haired Faunus going through feelings her mother has yet to explain to her, and lastly a boy so dense he makes a rock seem transparent.

Throughout the five year period, Jaune searched for one of his journals he believed was lost in the Henan incident; little did he know his daughter was at work attempting to decipher the code in which he hid a majority of his secrets. There was limited time to work on the code, and very few places she could safely hide it. Sharing a room with her brother was easy enough, he respected her privacy, but the last thing she needed was one of the adults finding the book. And today, as any day she had free time; Blake was attempting to read her father's journal. He purposely hid major sections of the book, the question is; why? What could possibly be in these books that her father would not allow for just anyone to read?

Jaune glanced towards Emerald and Coco, lastly his wife. Weiss kept her eyes glued to the floor, neither of them wanted to remember the discovery they made, nor did they want their friends to know what else occurred in Vale all those years ago. But, judgement was approaching, the genocide order passed by the three kingdoms had reached Runa, and the plan to save their young was needed now more than ever. Jaune began with the origin of the crystal, which stood on a pedestal before them. The women were surprised to see the Onyx crystal first hand, more so the strange power radiating from it.

"The Onyx crystal is more than just a weapon, in my research, I discovered on property this thing has that defies our level of understanding. For now, think of it as a weapon, and the thing with weapons is; they need maintenance. Cinder wanted power, not just any power though; she wanted to wield a power that would bring the world to its knees. For that she dwelled into many research files that she stole from the Schnee's data archives. In one of these files she found the file on the Onyx crystal. To this day we have no clue as to how she acquired it, nor where it was hidden all this time. Luckily, when she first had it, the thing was as powerful as a novice spell caster."

"It was when she sought for a way to reenergize the crystal that we planned to steal it and use it against her." Weiss added.

"When I worked for her, I found some books and logs referring to the ruins of Eva, an old civilization that supposedly created an ultimate weapon to defeat the Grimm, but were in turn destroyed by their very own creation. For a time, we didn't make the connection…but that was our mistake. Here is where our story becomes darker; when we couldn't find any other connections, I researched any and all I could on Eva, especially the civilization's culture. I found that something they practiced in excess was 'essence snaring'. Which, as we discovered during the uprising, was how Cinder gave the crystal the power it needed." Jaune finished, holding back the information that even brought him into momentary despair, and extreme hatred towards the woman.

"So, if it was almost out of power, what exactly did she use to charge that thing?" Emerald gestured to the crystal? The blonde knight and his former partner kept their silence; the weight of their knowledge was withholding the secrets to powering the Onyx crystal back to its full state. With Jaune and Weiss unwilling to respond, the answer came from an unexpected source.

"Essence; Life." All eyes darted to Blake, standing at the door way with her circlet in her hand, and her father's journal in the other. Her eyes were devoid of life, and her expression was similar to an emotionless corpse. Yet, the reddened portion of her eyes showed she cried heavily at some point before arriving. Blake had finally decoded the book and its secrets. However, it was evident now that she regretted ever learning this secret, for the conclusion meant one thing. "Cinder Falls used the life force of humans and Faunus alike in Vale to fuel the Onyx crystal."

**Ugh! Classes start soon, and the damn heat is too unbearable. But enough of my troubles hope you all enjoyed your summer, and this chapter. Sorry for the wait, i'll try to have the next one up sooner, until next time!**


	9. Where it all began

Blake stood quietly at the entrance to the lower level of the mountain, in her hand was her father's journal, unlocked and filled with records of atrocities. Jaune was astonished to see his daughter with his journal, but knew how she came to her prediction. He slowly approached his daughter and took his journal back. Blake was reluctant to give her father the journal, but she didn't intend to continue reading. She felt a hint of shame towards her family's history, more so that not only was her mother a criminal, but her grandfather was Roman Torchwick, one of the notorious leaders of the Coalition below Cinder Falls.

"You should have given this to me, Blake." Jaune's tone was not anger, but it wasn't sympathy either. In the book, Blake realized where her name came from; the friend her father called his own, even after killing her. Just hearing her father utter her name sent shivers down her spine. How the playful and charismatic man she knew now was once an emotionless murderer was beyond her comprehension.

"Regardless, it's still not too late. You nearly got the point of it, but Cinder didn't use the people of Vale, the crystal can only ensnare so much." Jaune pointed out. He flipped to another section of the book and released another seal he placed on the page. "What destroyed Vale was the Grimm, but it was how they were summoned that allowed the Coalition to win." He flipped to one of the hidden pages until he found the spell needed for this occasion. As his hands began to glow for the casting of the spell, Noa, Adelheid, and Mochi ran in unexpectedly, and in hast. Not a moment too soon either.

"Dad, there's an Atlesian army burning the forest! They're closing in on the village!" Noa shouted upon entering. He saw the onyx crystal and his family huddled around it upon stopping. Both he and his teammates were confused, more so when Weiss glanced to Jaune and shared a similar idea.

"Perfect timing." Weiss commented before rushing behind and pushing them into a small circle where the crystal stood in the center. Jaune placed his journal into his daughter's hands and pushed her into the circle with her teammates. Once all of them were inside, a small barrier formed around them. When they attempted to leave, they found themselves trapped. Each of them attempted in many ways to break the barrier, yet none could come close to cracking it.

"The crystal requires a sacrifice, but the participants must be willing. If only one participant is hesitant, then the backlash of the crystal will be violent and brutal. Cinder wanted to bring the world to its knees, and she did it; by sacrificing more than a dozen unwilling followers she unleashed a horde of Grimm upon the people of Vale. The same went for the Eva civilization." Jaune explained while drawing five smaller circles around the main one. His expression went from serious to a weak grin. He turned his attention to Blake. "I'm sorry your father is such a monster, there is no forgiveness for the things I've done, but understand; you, your mother, and your brother are the only choices in my life that I will never regret. Which is why I won't let you die here." Jaune then stood over one of the smaller circles and focused his aura into it. Weiss did the same with another circle.

"What are you-" Blake was panicking, though upon seeing the runes her father placed in the circles and reading the small theories Jaune had written in the early sections of the journal, she realized what he was planning. "S-stop! Don't do it! Please!" Her cries, sadly, fell on empty ears as her father and aunt were willingly sacrificing themselves for a spell. At first the spell seemed to be working, but was fading quickly as they didn't have enough willing participants. This needed to work; Atlas wasn't going to send any ground troops until all of their hammering flattened the landscape. Jaune tried funneling as much aura as he could, but it just wasn't enough. The form of spell needed five participants, but he didn't want to use his friends to meet ends, especially his wife. He and Weiss had hoped to use their saved up aura as substitutes for the remaining three lives, sadly, to no avail. As his hope was fading in the same way as the spell, Coco and Emerald walked into the two other circles and allowed the spell to take whatever power it needed. They realized from the fading auras from their friends, what exactly they were planning. Knowing full well what to do, they too willingly allowed the crystal to take what it needed. The whole thing lit back up, even more so when his wife stood into last circle holding her hand up with her ring visible.

She was smiling, crying, but nonetheless happy for her own reasons. "Till death do us part." She spoke, her voice was as sweet as the day he first heard them, and to hear her one last time was enough for him. Neo turned to her children, whom were somewhat shocked to hear their mother's voice after so long. "This is our gift to you, stay alive and always know we love you. All of you." Her voice was nearly drowning in her sadness, yet her smile never faded.

Adelheid was facing her mother, the cold woman was stoic as ever, but was crying quietly within, happy to know her daughter would live to continue their fight another day.

"We'll all see each other again, that I can promise you." Jaune tried his best to withhold himself from breaking down in front of his family, but was failing miserably. As the spell neared its final stage, the old blonde gave his children his final words. "Time is what we want most, but use worst. Perhaps..." Jaune smiled one last time for his children before mumbling. "Perhaps the next time around." And without further words to be said, the barrier thickened and closed off the outside world to the team within the barrier. Adelheid held on tightly to Noa, as did Mochi. Blake was still trying to pry the barrier open, but her aura was dwarfed compared to that of the crystal's. No matter her attempts, the onyx crystal would not forfeit. By the time she gave up, she could feel the essence of her family fade, tears rolled endlessly down her cheeks as Gravity was lost, and their bodies were, quite literally, thrown into an abyss. Where? That was to come up after what seemed like an eternity in this white space.

The light began to fade, and their new surroundings were made clear after falling a few feet unto the ground. Blake rose up and inspected the area; they were in a field, tall grass, but no sense of danger nearby. A moment passed before she realized what she was still holding on to; her father's journal. Her anger began rising, with one of her palms engulfed in flames she wanted to burn that damn thing, but there was a reason he gave her this. Not to mention he unlocked another portion of the book she had yet to detect, meaning he wanted her to read it for a purpose. Whether she liked it or not, Blake had to continue reading his book. Why? That was still left to be seen. She turned to her teammates, all with mixed expressions. Noa was holding in his pain, he remembered seeing the Atlesians closing in on Runa, bombarding the forest and anything that moved. The defenses set up around their village would never hold up against Atlesian bombers, their home was reduced to a pile of rubble by now. Their parents saved them from an invasion, but what of them? What was their fate? Adelheid was crying on his shoulders, something she had grown accustomed to whenever she felt saddened. But this time, she was both sad and angered. Her mother had no words for her, but she knew full well how much her mother loved her. What angered her was the fact that she chose to send her away rather than let her help protect their home. Mochi was silent, she had no words to utter, her eyes were empty. Five years after she lost her foster father, Coco was slowly taking up the role as a mother. And yet, life has taken yet another toll on her emotions.

Blake held in her hands the truth behind their parent's actions, though for now she hid this from her teammates. The last thing she needed was them splitting up should they attempt to seek out their parents, especially if they actually found their home which was probably reduced to rubble by now. For the entire day, the group didn't speak to one another. During their small hike for shelter, they found a small cave nearby. Adelheid spent her time with Noa, silent and emotionless. Mochi wandered off, not too far, but enough to have Blake tailing her. The small blonde followed mainly to keep Mochi's emotions from driving her off the deep end. However, Mochi wasn't exactly in the mood for being around people.

"Listen, I don't mean to be rude, but; fuck off."

Though, rather than leave, Blake stood her ground. Her defiance wasn't met with admiration, rather an increasing annoyance for Mochi.

"I'm not going to say it again." Her tone was now hostile, as were her palms reaching for her hammer. Eirin was well known in Runa for her swift attacks with Dain, more correctly, breaking people's legs without much effort or remorse.

"Whether you like it or not, I'm not leaving your side. I know how much you're hurting but..." Before Blake could finish, Eirin pushed her against a nearby tree and kept a palm to the girl's neck. Her glare was intense, as was the power emitting from behind her eyepatch.

"Only now do you know how I feel; I've lost my birth parents, and ones that I loved in Henan and Runa. If you're trying to comfort me..." Eirin's hands slowly slid down Blake's chest. "...then do it properly." She purred while eyeing Blake's chest, which was surprisingly bigger than hers. And it showed too, much to the older bunny's envy. For some reason the younger siblings were always blessed with better assets.

Blake, rather than respond, stayed quiet enough to respond after her partner's perverseness subsided.

"Ok. Go ahead."

Mochi was both shocked and confused seeing as how this was the first time Blake ever actually allowed the perverted rabbit to go on with her threats. Unable to respond, Mochi staggered backwards. She knew she'd never lay a finger on Blake in that manner, but something about her attitude now was almost hinting that she was willing. As she was going to respond to this situation, a small puddle of cold water splashed over her head. Blake had collected a bit using one of her spells and used it to cool the bunny down. Rather than be angered by her trick, Mochi found herself chuckling.

"You feel better?" The small blonde asked with a sly grin.

"No, I'm wet." Mochi responded.

"When aren't you?" The response to Blake's question was a forceful hug from the wet bunny. To which the blonde was trying to pry her friend away. "No, you're getting me wet!" Blake laughed as the hug she was in kept her from budging.

"Oh Oum, just when I thought I'd never get the chance. Am I going to jail now?" The two huntresses were laughing as they continued their antics, still knowing full well what occurred to them, but with reinforced vigor to face the problem. From afar, Noa watched his sister and friend regain their hope after what they went through. Adelheid was still recovering, but she was tougher than what she let on, almost like her mother.

She slept peacefully on his shoulder, mumbling in her sleep. The pink-haired boy was unsure of where they were, or what would become of them, but he swore to keep his friends safe. Everything was happening so fast, much of it was still confusing to him, but knowing Blake; she had at the very least a guess as to what happened. The real question was whether she would fill them in or not.

Speaking of which, Mochi and Blake were returning, both still soaking wet. The rabbit girl took the time to gather some wood along the way. She placed the small pile in the middle of the cavern and waited for Blake to start the fire. Though, it took a moment to realize that the blonde was absent. Outside, Blake was frozen solid, for on the floor from where they landed was the oval shaped crystal that brought them here. She knew it was the same one by reading its energy waves. Her anger boiled to higher levels, because of this thing she lost her parents, her home, and if they found out, her friends. The blonde girl picked up the gem, its shape was different from the one on her circlet, but there was no doubt it would go unnoticed. However, she could feel Mochi's aura coming closer, instinctively she hid the gem and greeted her friend, leaving the task of deal with the cursed gem later. The two returned to the cave and dried off their clothes and themselves. After starting the small fire, Mochi leaned against Blake and almost immediately fell asleep. Noa and Adelheid were asleep before the two returned from their walk. With the team leader as the only one awake, she made sure to set up a barrier around the cavern to keep them safe. Whatever followed next would need to be done so wisely, if they managed to find anyone at all, Atlesians in particular, they weren't going to take any chances.

The next day, the small group decided to wander, knowing nothing of their surroundings, they walked for what seemed like an eternity in this forest. Luckily, there were no Grimm so far, and even if there were, Blake had created another tortoise golem to transport them when they got tired or needed protection from danger. Which currently was nonexistent, and even then Blake would either crush the threat or burn it to ashes. Another half hour into their walk, they began to hear noises, faint, but of machinery. Being the fastest of the group, Mochi jumped up unto a tree branch and made her way ahead to scout of what was ahead of them. Upon reaching the top, her eyes fell upon a large building atop a cliff, and further away was what seemed like a giant wall with airships flying from there and back. She took notice of what looked like a bullhead heading towards their location. Knowing full well what occurs when a bullhead approaches you, Mochi quickly ducked down to her friends and silently gestured their little witch to the incoming unknown. Blade shrouded their presence and had the tortoise hide beneath a thick shrub of trees. Mochi and Noa were almost itching to jump into a fight, especially against the Atlesians. But their leader made them stay put, if they needed to fight, they would, but first they had to hide. The bullhead was about to fly past them when it stopped unexpectedly over them, it then lowered and landed just past the trees in an open field. The tortoise moved slowly through the thickets, they had a good view of four figures exiting the bullhead. One was small and dressed in red, another in all white and with white hair similar to Adelheid. Another was blonde with long unruly hair, and the last was raven-haired girl with a bow tie on her head. They seemed confused, and as they approached, their voices could be heard easily.

**-With the unknowns- **

While the bullhead circled around towards the emerald forest, the team was bickering over how they got stuck with this mission. The team leader kept her head low as the other members of her team shared their anger over this development. All the while they were unknowingly approaching another team within the forest.

"Why are we the one's responding to an aura spike? Isn't that a job for the military?" The blonde grunted, followed by a loud yawn.

"Why not ask the one who signed our team up for the Auxiliaries program?" The black-haired one asked while shooting a glare to the white-haired member of her team.

"Shut up, Blake." The White-haired girl answered in an annoyed tone.

"Enough!" The team leader shouted in her own annoyance. "Look, I know we're all tired, but let's just scout out the area Ozpin asked us to, and then head back to Beacon. JNPR is on standby if we need them for anything. Sound good; Yang, Weiss, Blake?" Her team members all glanced to one another for a few seconds before nodding. With a gleeful smile, the small one led them on. "Great, team RWBY, march!"

From the thickets, all but Blake were confused. More so Adelheid when she thought she heard her mother's name. But the girl that looked as if she were her mother; almost as if a younger version of the woman. And then there was one of the members named Blake as well, this couldn't be a coincidence. Blake was skeptical when she heard their names, but upon hearing their team name, her suspicions were slightly proven correct. Instinctively, she hopped off the turtle and glanced to her team. While she had hoped to avoid any contact, considering the new circumstances, she still had some answers she needed to confirm. If her suspicions were proven entirely correct, than this is a time period in which RWBY is still whole.

"I might have an idea as to what happened to us, by first we need to confirm it with these huntresses. Disarm them, do not kill them. They aren't Atlesians, but they may not be friendly either. Stick to nicknames, don't reveal yourselves." She then pointed to all of them, starting with her brother. "Prophet." Next Adelheid. "Princess." Then Mochi. "Mochi." And lastly to herself. "Patchy."

"Why 'Patchy'?" Noa asked. "And why not just tell us what you know?"

"Because I'm always patching up the problems you guys cause or can't handle. And if I had a definite answer I wouldn't need to confirm anything. So, please, just trust me." She stated with much truth behind it. The other three shared a nervousness expression before joining their team leader on the ground. They braced themselves before exiting the thickets and coming face to face with the Huntress team ahead of them. Team RWBY stopped in their tracks after the unknown team emerged from the thickets, ahead of them was a young girl with mix-matched eyes, and an eerie circlet. Eerie in the sense that there was some odd aura emitting from it. The blonde looked young, almost younger than Ruby, and yet she seemed to be the head of the group. Knowing full well that things would get confusing if they used their real names, Blake made sure her teammates called each other by nickname. Now, it was the question of who would make the first strike. Though what kept them from an all-out brawl was the jumpy team leader; Ruby.

"Hi! Are you guys scouting the aura spike too?!" She asked, believing them to be classmates from Beacon as well. Ruby Rose; the happy-go-lucky team leader, always ignorant to what people could be capable of, especially her friends. Or so the journal described. Yes, within her father's book were both the theories of the onyx crystal and the description of his acquaintances during his time in Beacon. Ruby Rose's speed and agility would be hard to match, and Mochi's abilities would be needed for the initial reaction of the blonde brawler. One opponent was clear enough; Adelheid's fighting style was taught to her by her mother, Weiss Schnee. She glanced to Adelheid and gestured her to step forward. Once the two stood side by side, Blake leaned over to her and whispered. "That one knows of your mother's style of fighting, don't hesitate and you'll be fine." The white haired girl became skeptical of her friend and her 'information', nevertheless, she took and deep breath, drew her rapier and charged in a manner almost mirroring her mother's style. Weiss had little time to draw her own weapon and defend herself from the attack. It caught her completely off guard, and it was more surprising how precise this girl's aim was. It wasn't for a spot to kill, but merely to subdue her. As Weiss reached for her dust vials in her satchel, she couldn't find them, or her satchel. She searched around, only to have her opponent whistle at her and show off the stolen satchel with her tail.

"Y-y-you thief!" She yelled while still holding her ground from the current attack. Adelheid began to remember how her mother did the same thing during her training; steal her daughter's weapons or perform quick sneak attacks. And whenever she complained, her mother always said the same thing...

"Will you cry? Will you whine? Any kind of battle is based on deception and tactic, if you anger simply over this, then you will have no potential as a fighter." She repeated word for word, though oddly, it had some effect on Weiss as she was motionless, as if seeing a ghost. Using this opportunity, she drew in breath and used her semblance. "FOSS!" She forceful shout sent her opponent crashing into a couple of nearby trees. Rushing from behind was Weiss's teammate with her scythe readying to strike. Though just as Ruby was to swing, a longsword clashed with hers. Noa quickly came to the aid of his partner, this child was fast and his swings were slow, but at the very least he had a perk up. Although Ruby was fast, her strikes were mere feather's against a rock. Almost literally. Noa hardened his skin and was hardly affected by the huntress's quick attacks. By a stroke of luck, Noa managed to catch the huntress's cape and send her tumbling down.

"Ruby!" Yang was about to go out and help her sister when the last thing her caught sight of were two long ears and a giant hammer. After that, the blonde brawler was sent crashing into a nearby tree. Mochi rushed to Noa. "Switch?" She gestured to switch opponents; the pink haired boy grinned and rushed at the brawler, allowing Mochi to take on the scythe wielder. Leaving only the last two to stare down the other.

"Why are you attacking us!? We haven't done anything to you!" The cat Faunus yelled out. To which the blonde witch, rather than take out a weapon, pulled out her father's journal.

"You are Blake Belladonna, correct?" She asked.

Blake was startled, though the questions didn't stop there. "Former member of the White Fang, seeking redemption by fighting the people she once supported; a cliché scenario, don't you think?..." With no response from the Faunus, the blonde witch decided to sink into deeper detail. "Intense reader, particularly explicit novels; Ninja's of Love, Behind Closed Doors, and Here Kitty Ki-"

"S-STOP!" Blake shouted with a full on blush. To which the small witch smiled.

"So from this I get a response. It would seem you and I are alike in our reading material. Even in some aspects you wouldn't believe." She finished with a small chuckle.

Blake was of course immensely confused, and knowing someone who reads the same smutty books as you would be an exciting thing had that person not been your enemy. And to make things all the weirder, she was calling out all of her information from the book in her hands that, oddly, looked like the one Jaune owned. Yet this was weathered and had an eerie aura emitting from it.

"Who are you?" Blake asked, to which the small witch closed her book and grinned.

"My name...is not important right now." The blonde witch waved her hand over a small puddle nearby, a stream arose and quickly wrapped itself around Blake's neck. "What you should worry about is what I'll do to you if you don't answer the questions I have for you. First..." Before she could ask, a sword cut through the water and collapsed the entire spell. The sudden intervention caught Patchy by surprise, that is, until she saw the intruder.

Blake fell to the ground, coughing uncontrollably a bit before acknowledging her savior. "T-thanks, Jaune." The blonde knight merely grinned before turning to their opponent. Patchy glanced to her teammates, each were now outnumbered by other hunters.

Mochi was now holding off another hammer-wielding nut, and the blonde brawler. Noa was dealing with two redheads, one was manipulating his hammer and making him even more sluggish, and the scythe wielder was continuing her attacks, only to distract him from her friend's actions. Adelheid was not only dealing with someone who shared the same fighting style as her, but also against an opponent who wasn't entirely affected by her shouts. "Patchy! We can't hold them off forever!" Adelheid shouted. This wasn't what she had in mind, Patchy need to have her team fall back and...

"Wait...Jaune? As in, Jaune Arc. Son of Lilian and Johan Arc?" She asked, her lips slightly quivering. When the blonde knight nodded, the young girl smiled as her head fell. "I see, so that's what you did..." Both hunters were confused. "Fa..er, you're...A BASTARD!" Patchy focused her aura into her palms and released it into a ball of fire exploding with great force as it struck the ground next to the two hunters.

"FALL BACK!" Patchy shouted. Her teammates quickly retreated into the forest, and to their luck, their opponents were distracted by the attack on their teammates that they forgot about fighting. Of course, that is what they would've hoped for, that attack took a toll on Patchy's stamina. As she attempted to join her teammates in the forest, the scythe wielder appeared in front of her with her weapon drawn. Soon enough, she was surrounded; her brother drew his sword when he saw his sister trapped. "Blake!" The huntresses of Beacon were somewhat surprised to hear this girl's name.

"No! Get out of here, NOW! That's an order!" Patchy shouted with great anger, she had hoped to hide their identities, but now she was revealed. "I'll be fine, trust me!" Noa was reluctant to leaving his sister in their hands. Adelheid and Mochi returned and saw their friend surrounded, without hesitation, the three of them attempted to rescue the small one, that is, until they themselves were surrounded by two other Hunter teams and an Atlesian convoy hovering above them. Patchy sighed in annoyance; the glares from those around made this feel almost like a fatal mistake. Thankfully, Jaune and Blake were only knocked unconscious, and the unknown team was taken into custody. Of course, Ironwood wanted them in Atlesian custody; though Ozpin made sure they were placed under the watch of his security force. Meaning; Beacon's staff, all of whom were undeniably strong Hunters and Huntresses, but there were no records of these children ever existing, and the witch's ability to manipulate water was worrisome. More so if she could do so with other elements. They had no idea.

Patchy sat alone in a dark room; she was in a meditation pose, though her hands were completely chained, all in the hopes that she could not use her powers. Yet, nothing about her showed signs of being nervous or worried about her future. There were interrogators sent to intimidate and get information out of her, but she said nothing and remained in her meditation stage. From a one-sided mirror Ozpin, Ironwood and Glynda were pondering what or who exactly this child was. In some ways she resembled the blonde knight, but in others she was mysterious and clearly hiding something. The only items confiscated from her were a book and a circlet. Both of which were locked by an immensely complicated aura pattern. To think such a child was able to do this was amazing, though it also meant she had something to hide, and Ironwood wanted any content that was in the book. With all other tactics failed, Ozpin decided to take a different approach. He entered the room, alone, and with the young girl's items in hand. She noticed, and faintly grinned.

"So, are we bargaining?" She asked in a hush tone.

"We might be, but it all depends on you." Ozpin responded sitting across from her. "Now then, why don't we get acquainted before anything else? I'll start, my name is-"

"Ozpin, Headmaster of Beacon." The young witch answered first. "Yes, I know who you are, and I also know who the other two watching us are; Glynda Goodwitch, and James Ironwood." The last name mentioned dripped like venom from her lips. "My father had many words to describe the three of you."

"All good, I hope."

"Heh, only you and Goodwitch. As for Ironwood..." The chains holding the young girl down broke apart and reformed into a spear with the tip aimed at Ozpin's neck. "I would rather not go into detail." She made no movement or sign of casting a spell. And yet she was able to bend the iron keeping her down so easily. Patchy lowered the spear and smiled again. "Now then, if you don't mind, I'll be taking these." Her circlet and book were now in her hands. Though, Ozpin didn't seem to care much.

While Ironwood was fuming from behind the glass, the point of this was to interrogate not give up valuable items. Goodwitch was attempting to keep the military man from barging in.

"Why did you and your team attack my students? I do not seem to recall reports saying they showed any aggression." Ozpin asked sternly.

"And they didn't. We weren't going to kill them; I just needed to interrogate one member of their team for a short period of time, that was all."

"Couldn't you have done so peacefully?"

Patchy's expression shifted. "I wasn't sure exactly where we were, and I wasn't going to riskthe lives of my team. I just need confirmation."

"Did you get your answers?"

"...somewhat."

"Mind sharing them with me?"

The small witch smile slyly. "Perhaps another time."

This interrogation wasn't getting the information Ozpin wanted, but at least he was making more progress than Ironwood's men. The headmaster took out his scroll and reviewed the data RWBY and JNPR logged in with their return.

"You go by many names? Patchy? Blake? What might your real name be?" He asked.

"..." Patchy was unsure how to answer, she wanted to keep their identities a secret, but due to Noa's slip-up, her first name was revealed. There was still a chance to avoid revealing her friends, but given the time she had pondering why her father and aunt sent them to this point in time, it could mean many things. Perhaps more sensibly; changing the future. With the Onyx crystal she had, she could try to fuse the one in this time line and cause a collapse in its existence. Or, she could use the information in the journal to disable the one in Cinder's possession and bring her father and mother to the Valen's side. There were endless possibilities of how they could end the conflict before it began, but first she needed her team here, and she needed to keep their origins a secret, at least for until they could find the right moment to say it. In his journals, Jaune spoke of someone he could always trust, no matter the circumstance; the headmaster. So, now she would test her father's words.

"My name is Blake..."

"I see. And where did you get the name Patchy?"

"If...no, when my teammates make a mistake or can't handle a problem they caused I'm always there to fix it for them." There was no tone of annoyance or hostility when mentioning the fact that for every mission her team had they made some form of mistake. She seemed more nostalgic with the idea.

"Oh, you must be the team leader then. How old are you?"

"Fourteen, and yes, I am the leader of my team."

Glynda and Ironwood both shared a surprised expression, neither could imagine a hunter team formed at so early in a person's life, which begs the question; just how old were they when they formed? Ozpin wasn't as shocked as his friends were; he assumed this team was created in one of the many isolated villages beyond the kingdom's borders. This was interesting though, he had yet to meet another young huntress, younger that the last one he enlisted into this school. This child had much potential, but it would be quite troublesome if influenced by the wrong people. After pondering an idea, Ozpin smiled.

"I have a proposition."

Outside the campus, teams RWBY, JNPR, CFVY, and SSSN were talking about the unknown team that attacked them in the forest. Jaune and Blake had recovered almost quickly, though they still seemed shaken by the blast's aftermath. If it wasn't for the fact that Blake left her comm on, JNPR wouldn't have heard her cries and not arrive when they did, and whatever that team had planned for them would've been done without intervention. Their blitz attack caught RWBY off guard, but even then their attacks were done so in accordance to the blonde witch's orders; the white-haired Faunus knew Weiss's fighting style in every single aspect, adding to it her powerful voice. The pink-haired one had an ability to harden his body and protect himself from both Ruby and Yang's attacks, and the rabbit Faunus wasn't as fast as Ruby, but her attacks showed much more brutality than what the scythe wielder could do. Lastly, there was the small witch herself, she merely talked to Blake most of the time and only used her aura to manipulate a nearby stream into putting Blake into a chokehold. There was one thing they all gained from this; the witch and her name. In a way, she almost looked like Jaune, but her mismatched eyes were what caught Yang's attention. There was one other person she knew who had such eyes, and the eerie grin she saw on the witch was almost a mirror to the one from the small woman in Roman's faction. What caught Sun's attention was the Faunus girl that stole Weiss's satchel, and up until now still has it.

As they all continued to talk, they heard a small whistle, followed by Weiss's satchel flying towards them. Sun managed to catch it, only to see clearly who threw it. Adelheid was somewhat glaring at them with Noa and Mochi by her side. The boy had a stern expression, and the bunny girl was smiling carelessly. RWBY and JNPR drew their weapons upon laying eyes on them. From behind the unknown team was their blonde witch. With her eerie smile "Now now, let's calm down shall we, or someone will get hurt." Her sarcastic tone was only making this situation worse. "Besides, she gave you back the satchel, so that merits a thank you at least. Wouldn't you agree?" Her next expression turned hostile, and the glare she sent to Weiss was more than enough to persuade even those around her to put their weapons down. Replacing the hostile atmosphere was an awkward silence.

"Now, why don't we start over, hmm?" the small witch smiled again, though it wasn't as hostile or threatening as before. "Why don't we start with names; I am Blake Bielschmidt. For the sake of not confusing me with your Blake, you may call me; Patchy." She stated with a respectful bow.

Mochi was next. "Eirin Inaba, nice to meet ya, sorry for beating ya." Her words were turned to Yang and Ruby. The bunny-girl's tone was merry, as was her movements. Her appearance caught the attention of Velvet from CFVY, mainly due to a familiar sense of power emitting from the girl's left eye. What came as a great surprise was the young huntress of RWBY approaching the hammer wielding Faunus. With a welcoming smile, she offered her hand to the girl, almost as if signifying a truce. "Nice to meet you, I'm Ruby." The two shook hands, and for a moment they almost forgot the fight they dove into earlier. She was quick to forgive, not exactly a good trait to have, especially in these times.

Noa followed. "I am Noa Bieldschmidt, Blake's older brother. Sorry for earlier." The boy's armor was odd for Jaune, it was almost in the exact same in detail with the chest plate and spauldrons, but the one thing that stood out was the boy's emblem; a longsword with a single crescent moon.

Lastly, Adelheid introduced herself, though she hesitated after what Patchy told her earlier.

-Earlier-

Noa, Adelheid, and Mochi were sent to a separate jail block from their team leader, their weapons confiscated and their feet chained. Perhaps it would've been easier to do as the little witch ordered and retreated without her, but Noa wasn't about to abandon his sister just so he could escape. Adelheid and Mochi were in agreement, even if Patchy was the team leader, she was still a dear friend and they couldn't find it in themselves to leave her like that. For nearly four hours they sat in absolute silence, neither of them moved much or made a sound since they were placed in here. Mochi fiddled her fingers slowly before a thought came to mind. She glanced to the Atlesian soldiers guarding them, her fingers pressed against her eye patch and as they gripped the piece of clothing a loud mumble across from her stopped her fingers from pulling of the eyepatch. She glanced to the source of the sound and saw Noa slowly shaking his head. He knew what his friend wanted to do, and the last time she did this it didn't end well for both her and her enemy. The doors to the jail opened and the guards glanced to the entrance. For a moment they seemed shock, though soon enough they left the prisoners alone. After a few seconds the doors closed again and appearing before the block was their team leader. She was somewhat irritated with them, she wanted them to retreat for a reason, and now she had to give up a great deal of information to gain the headmaster's trust. It was worth it, but she hated the fact that Ironwood knew as well. At first sight they were happy to see her, though her small glare was enough to kill their excitement. She knew they had good intentions when they disobeyed her orders, hell this wasn't the first time they'd done so.

"Seems you three need some help." She retrieved the key from nearby and opened the cell block. Mochi and Adelheid were happy to see their friend alive, though Noa was skeptical. The only reason they were jailed was because his sister ordered them to, and for what? What was her reason for just rushing into a battle when she stated that they weren't Atlesians? Even if she was his sister, Noa wouldn't follow someone who would withhold information from him that could cost the lives of his team. Sensing the tense atmosphere between them, the young team leader decided to fill her team in with their current situation.

The witch had cloaked the entire room and made sure they couldn't be heard or disturbed. The cameras worked, but they recorded no sound. Their reactions, however, were more than enough to tell that the subject of what they were being filled in on was too much to take in. Adelheid collapsed to her knees, Mochi was mumbling to herself and Noa seemed almost angered than anything else.

Within their sealed space, the pink-haired lad was summarizing what his sister had revealed to him. He paced back and forth in the cell for a few seconds, silently, before finally speaking. "So let's see if I got this right; father and mother not only sacrificed themselves to transport us here, they also sent us _back in time_ to when they were our age, before the war. Which means those hunters we were fighting in the fields; our parents were amongst them? And now you want us to finish the fight they couldn't handle, and do so by not telling the, who we are, am I still on track?" When his sister nodded, the boy nearly flipped, literally. "Do you know how crazy that sounds!?" he shouted almost instantly.

"I do. And I know I shouldn't keep things from you, but you have to trust me, brother, when I warn you; some of the documents father had were better left untouched."

After a minute to take in the news, Adelheid and Mochi grinned. Confusing and scaring their team members. "So that means; our parents are still alive?" Mochi asked

"Yes, but given the circumstance, it'd be best if we kept our identities a secret, at least for now."

**-Present time- **

Adelheid was overjoyed at the thought of seeing her father again, and was especially happy with the idea of fighting against the Coalition if it meant saving him from his illness, though the question remained as to what she should refer to herself as, she kept his last name to honor him, and she refused to give that portion of herself up. She made that abundantly clear to her team leader, though even then she still needed to change her name. So, she winged it. "And I am Adelheid Runa." She picked a last name that also meant something to her; her village. Her tail swung a bit when she saw Weiss again, automatically, she assumed the woman was a younger version of her mother given much evidence from their initial encounter. And then there was the blonde Faunus dressed almost in a mirror image to one another.

Patchy and Noa could already tell from a glance that their father was the blonde knight that came to the cat-Faunus's aid, ironically. Their mother on the other hand was not in sight, as for Mochi, the young one was unsure as to who of these people were her parents. Her eyes fell to the rabbit Faunus from CFVY, but didn't want to make assumptions without at least some form of proof.

All in all, it seemed that team BANE was already being accepted into their little group. Mochi easily befriended Nora, Ruby, Coco, Velvet, and surprisingly, Yang of all people. Adelheid was still very much shy, but found it easy to talk to Weiss and Sun for obvious reasons. Noa was mainly used as a shield for Adelheid as she hid behind him most of the time. It was kind of cute and somewhat confusing when they discovered the two were friends when the way they reacted said otherwise. The young witch on the other hand was avoiding the stares from her father and the cat Faunus. She remembered what she uttered in front of them before blasting the ground beneath them, but she could ill afford to be trifled with them right now. It was when she saw her teammates speaking with the younger versions of their parents that a dreadful thought came to mind; the war was what brought them together, if they managed to stop the war before it occurred, would that mean she and her team would cease to exist? This would have to be explored another day, for now, Patchy allowed her friends to enjoy themselves, the battles and hardened decisions would come, but at this moment in their lives, they were playing the part of being kids.

**[Bonus] Team BANE: **

Blake _"Patchy"_ Arc

Weapon: none

Semblance: undiscovered

Bio: like her mother, Blake has a dry and almost sadistic sense of humor. Being the youngest of her team, she tends to act more maturely to fit the criteria of Hunterleader. She has blonde hair, and mixed eye color with the left blue, and the other red. Her manner of thinking is almost always on the side of caution, though she can be slightly daring. Secretly, she holds a small crush on Mochi, though keeps this to herself as she knows full well who the perverted bunny likes. While Blake has not discovered her semblance or wields a weapon, she makes up for it with her customized spells. Favoring the elements; earth and fire more than any other she has at her will. Her instinct toward her brother mirrors her mother's; overprotective and hostile to anything or anyone she considers a bad influence for him.

Adelheid _"Princess"_ Wukong

Weapon: Dawnstar (Rapier)

Semblance: Amplified shouts

Bio: Adelheid, not unlike her mother, is stubborn and beautiful. Though, she tends to be shy due to lack of social contact in her early years. Like her mother she has snow white hair, but deep ocean blue eyes. The traits she inherited from her father were the same ones that drove the woman crazy, such as; monkeying around, stealing some food from time to time, and spending her time hanging from her tail. Like her mother, she wields a rapier by the name of Dawnstar. In addition to similarities she shares with her mother, Adleheid also has a strong voice, though how she uses it is what separates her from her Schnee family. While she could sing well, her semblance allows her to amplify her shouts into a weapon. She developed a crush on Noa when they first met which strengthened throughout their years as teammates. She cares for Mochi and Blake as if they were her sisters, and shows no disdain for anything unless given a good reason. She took up her father's last name in honor of his memory.

Noa _"Prophet"_ Arc

Weapon: Claidheamh Mòr (Longsword)

Semblance: Hardened Shield

Bio: Noa is the eldest son of Jaune and Neo. The boy has both his mother's pink hair and brown eyes, though what sets him apart from his family is his tanned skin, a result of spending much of his time outside, either training or working with his father. Noa cares for both his sister and his teammates, and shows it. On many occasions growing up, Adelheid would make mistakes and he'd be the one to take the fall for her. Most recently he sports two scars on his face, a vertical scar across his nose, and one on the right side of his lower lip. What he inherited from his father, most notably, is density, or more correctly, unawareness to the affections of someone who has fallen for him. After being picked on constantly for his pink hair, his sense of humor is somewhat twisted and sadistic, but has a loving and nurturing relationship with his family.

Eirin _"Mochi"_ Scarlatina

Weapon: Dain (Warhammer)

Semblance: **CLASSIFIED**

Bio: Beside the fact that she's both dangerous and perverted, Mochi is not someone to mess around with. Or insult. She has worn an eyepatch for the longest time, Jaune handmade the thing for one specific reason, to keep the little bunny's powers in check. Mochi discovered her semblance at an age that control was near impossible. As such, she has needed to seal it and rely mainly on her physical strength. When she's not hunting, the rabbit girl is often found sleeping. Only few know of her true powers, and even then they refuse to speak of it after one glance. In regards to social contact, 'Mochi' is a nickname given to her from Noa and Blake after she nearly chocked on the rice treat the first time they met. She's only referred to her birth name when around strangers or when around people she despises. Openly, she admits to having a crush on Noa, though after noticing his bond with Adelheid her aggressiveness has become even more frequent.

**And so, here is the next chapter of this story, if things are moving too fast I'm sorry, truly. I will fill in the next few chapters with some things that were asked, and honestly should be part of this story, such as (Spoilers); Neo and Jaune's relationship, the eventual reveal of BANE's origins, and betrayal. (Hint; it's not who you think it is...well, a small percentage of you might guess it, but the chances are still slim.) Thanks for reading, and as always, see you next time.**


	10. Losing Control

The days that followed their arrival, BANE was the talk of the school. Mainly in the sense that they challenged team RWBY and nearly won had JNPR and CFVY not gotten involved. What's more, the leader of BANE is younger than Ruby and has been a team leader long before starting. The girl was frightening, especially when she went against Goodwitch for a sparring match. The older witch won of course, but the girl used spell cards and tricks that have yet to even be known to the woman herself. Noa was gaining popularity due to his stoic personality as well as his physical traits. Having a few scars, muscular body, tanned skin, and dense brain, surprisingly, do not go together. He'd been receiving small notes during classes, eyes glued to him as he passed through the halls, and even Neptune stuck by him asking for advice. Of course, the boy, having no idea as to what the blue-haired hunter was talking about, brushed it all aside. Adelheid spent most of her time with Sun and Noa, though on occasions Weiss would pull her aside and try to figure out where the young Faunus knew how to fight the way she did. With her loyalty to her team leader, Adelheid kept her history a secret, for now. Though, that didn't keep Weiss from challenging the young one to a match to determine whether their skills were equal step by step. At times the heiress would find the two monkey Faunus hanging by their tails outside, for some reason annoying her. The manner in which the two teased the heiress as a duo further fumed the desire she had to keep Adelheid away from Sun. Due to the fact that the girl showed potential in her skills as a fighter, Weiss took it upon herself to act as a moral ground for the young Faunus, which in itself was a busy task due to the greater amount of time she spent with Sun. In a way, it was almost like a parent jealous of the other for having a better relationship with the child. It took up most of her time watching over Adelheid that she had little to no time for Neptune as she did before. As for Mochi, with Nora and Yang, the trio began creating havoc in terms of pranks and gut-wrenching puns. If she wasn't with them, then she could be found with her team leader in the school library. The mysterious team from the forest was fitting in quite well, though was challenged often. Some students with too much pride wanted to see if this team was really any good as the rumors detailed. There were a few close calls, even for Patchy, but the only team that has come close to beating them was RWBY.

At this moment, within Beacon's immense library, Blake Beildschmidt sat alone with a stack of large books sitting on the desk beside her. Since her arrival, she spent most of her time reading books lost in her time. The cat Faunus of team RWBY and the blonde knight of JNPR watched the small one from afar. They wanted to approach her, but after watching the child face off against Goodwitch and losing with only mild injuries had them worried about angering her. She hardly ever talked, and when she did, it gave off a stern tone. Though they still wanted to know what was in the book she carried that had Ironwood's attention and had personal information regarding their friends. As they continued to watch, the small witch glanced to them causing them to quickly duck for cover. She sighed and waved her hand, a couple of books flew behind them and smacked their asses causing the two to Yelp and jump in plain view. Once the small sting of pain subsided, they realized that the small witch knew exactly what they were doing, so there wasn't a need for explanations.

"On normal circumstances I'd smash books on the heads of people spying on me, but you're not Mochi." The witch commented while keeping her focus on her book. "On that note, I'm sure you're curious about this." She then waved her father's journal before them, right before encasing the item in a bubble and disappearing it. The two students were amazed at how she was able to do so much with so little effort, but their minds remained with the contents of the journal.

"I was speaking with Xiao Long earlier; beneath your bed is a secret compartment with your 'special' books, correct?" She asked Blake, causing the Faunus to pale and dread what her partner could do with such amount of blackmail. Without warning she sped out and left the two blondes alone. When Jaune was about to join her, a wall of books blocked his exit. He turned to the young girl who had a faint grin on her lips.

"Quite convincing aren't I?" She asked slyly. It was then that the blonde knight remembered how cautious the brawler was of the witch. Hell, she even spoke about it around the girl herself. During the first match between BANE and RWBY, Yang was especially taken down a notch against Patchy with little more than a few water based attacks. There's no way the two of them would speak willingly, let alone if the witch had personal information on the brawler's partner.

"Now, why don't we talk about pinky?"

"Your brother?" Jaune asked.

"No, the small and eerie companion of yours outside of Beacon." Patchy clarified.

With Jaune's expressions changing from confusion to worry, the witch continued her poking.

"I don't know what you're talking about." Jaune argued, to which Patchy replied almost ticked off.

"Oh, I think you do. Does _'Coalition'_ mean anything to you?" Now, she had delved into a dangerous topic. The blonde knight's expression turned both worrisome and slightly angered. Was he discovered already, would he and his group be silenced? Jaune instinctually reached for a danger hidden in his bracer, he couldn't allow his work to fail now, not after everything that's happened.

"I wouldn't do that." Blake warned, though nothing around her implied she was planning to defend herself. "Would you kill a child, Jaune? If you do, you'll miss out on this." Her palms opened up to reveal the very object the blonde was after. His eyes dilated as he recognized the source of power in the young girl's hand. The very thing he and his group worked so hard to steal was in the hands of this child. Or perhaps, this was just a mere trick. Nevertheless, this was an opportunity the blonde couldn't pass up on, if this was in any way as powerful as what the books described, they could bring down Cinder and her plans all the more easier. But first, he needed to know if they were on the same page and side.

"Is that...?"

"The onyx crystal? Yes and no." Blake replied. It confused the boy, though her smile kept him from asking further. "If you want me to answer any question you have, I require a few things. None are too ridiculous, but merely out of my own personal need."

The blonde was somewhat skeptical and wary of this kid. She had secrets that much is obvious, but she also has what looks like the onyx crystal. Odd, considering there were records that said only one was made. Did he read them wrong, or was she just baiting him? She also knew of Neo, and that was a secret even he kept from his group.

"Well?" Blake insisted on an answer, her tapping insisted her impatience. "I'm only asking for a temporary truce."

"If you hurt my friends, you will pay." Jaune mumbled before offering his hand as a formal acceptance.

"If only you knew the irony in that." The witch commented before grasping his hand as firmly. Upon feeling his palm, memories began to flood Blake's vision. She instantly pulled her hand away, startling the blonde knight. For a moment her aura spiked to a high level before calming down. She chuckled lightly and grinned. "Sorry about that, but you remind me of my father." Blake closed her book and leaned over it. Her eyes were glued to her father's ocean blue orbs. She seemed at peace, which was the opposite of what could be said for the blonde boy.

"Really, what was he like? If you don't mind me asking." Jaune asked, not knowing the shells Blake would drop.

Her grin remained as she counted off the things she remembered. "My father, unsurprisingly, was a hunter...the leader of his team too. The man was the weakest of his group, but I suppose you can say an event in his life pushed him to better himself. He and my mother met before a big war and stayed together even when they were initially enemies. She had pink hair, which is one of the many traits my brother got from her that I didn't. She is...was small and kind of sadistic at times, and she was always so overprotective of my dad when they were around other people, especially women." Blake laughed softly to herself remembering the death glares her mother sent to any woman daring enough to flirt with her husband. Jaune chuckled, but merely because he could relate to what happens when he spends time with Neo. For some reason she was always so cautious of him speaking to other people or when he didn't give her much attention.

"However..." Blake's aura began spiking again. "Like any father, mine did things in his past that he regretted. He worked for an enemy that slaughtered his family. He betrayed his homeland, killed his friends without remorse, and allowed an entire...let's say society, to burn. And for what? All of it for this." Blake gestured to the gem in her hand, the gem was beginning to fade, though its eerie aura still dripped from within. Jaune could relate to most of what she was saying, and it worried him greatly. It was almost like he was following the same path her father threaded. "This damn gem ruined my father, and all he wanted to do was rid the world of this thing before it could cause any damage. But in the end, the crystal was not what brought his world to its knees. Only he and a few people he knew survived and lived on. I want to fix his mistakes...but..."

The door of the library slammed open, the books blocking it flew all over the place, Yang and Pyrrha charged in with weapons drawn, Ruby and Blake followed in with the others walking in calmly.

"Jaune, are you alright?!" The blonde knight's partner asked, though the excitement quickly shut down when they all noticed the boy was calmly sitting across the blonde witch. Said witch smiled and chuckled lightly to herself.

"Oh my, your friends do know how to make an entrance." Patchy commented before waving her hand to the scattered books, they were all lifted and placed back in their appropriate shelves. "There, now the keeper of this place cannot complain about the mess." Patchy rose up and was walking to the door when she turned to Jaune for one last word. The manner in which she placed a hand on the blonde knight's shoulder mad the group uneasy. "My father had a saying; the young believe themselves the best of the world, but often, they who it was that taught them what they know."

The witch's words brought up many memories the blonde knight had of him and his father. He could see the same look in her eyes that his father gave him after sparing with the old Arc. The boy was always to brash and naive, believing because of his father's old age he would lose against the young boy. But those exact words she uttered were spoken by his father too.

"Good day, Mr. Arc." Patchy walked away with nary another word left to utter. Jaune was left to wonder if it was coincidence, or perhaps she had some connection to his family. The blonde waited for the witch to leave before glancing to Weiss and giving her a subtle signal. It was a sign that they may have been compromised and that they needed to regroup. Weiss excused herself from the gathering, though she gave the same look Jaune gave her to Velvet and Yatsuhashi. When the blonde knight managed to convince his friends he was ok, and that Patchy did nothing to him, he left to meet with his associates. Unknown to everyone around them, Jaune, Weiss, Velvet and Yatsuhashi were involved in an organization known only as 'The Coalition', a gathering of many outcasted people from outside the major cities. Ones who were forgotten or whose misery was used as propaganda for the military. Although, these students were not exactly members of this alliance, but rather infiltrators only interested in the dangerous source of power their leader had.

The small group met in their usual spot, near the Emerald forest, Weiss being the only one who wasn't visibly worried, but more annoyed than anything. As the leader of their little special ops team approached, the heiress already began questioning him.

"So, what is it now? Are we actually compromised? Or is this another pep talk about how we'll eventually get the crys-" Weiss was cut off by Jaune's palm, she would've backlashed his actions had his empty eyes not kept her silent.

"That girl, Blake..." Jaune began, though didn't know if he should tell them just yet. If he piled only more bad news on them, then their doubt of ever obtaining the crystal would increase.

"The one from BANE? What about her?" Weiss asked, somewhat impatient.

Jaune held his breath in for a mere moment of hesitation, and revealed "She has an Onyx crystal."

The reveal left them all with widened eyes and skipping heart beats. The small witch of team BANE had, literally in her palms, an object of unfathomable power. How she got her hands on it was the bigger question, what she would do with it was the follow up. Still, after reading the texts, there was some doubt in both Jaune and Weiss.

"A-are you sure? The books claim only one was ever made." The heiress asked.

"I know what the texts said, but I could feel the aura from that thing, it was the same feeling as that day when we recovered the thing for Cinder. But...it was stronger than Cinder's." Jaune's words were deeply worrying the small group as their whole mission was to steal the crystal and use it against Falls. But now, they find out another potential enemy has a stronger gem and is possibly a separate faction of Cinder's, it made their mission all the more dangerous for them alone. But at the same time, something about BANE kept bugging them. There was a feeling around them that sent caution and a feeling of familiarity. For this small group, they felt connected to them, though; it was hard to explain why.

"Right now it's too early to assume BANE is any kind of enemy to us, but we can't rule them out as a hindrance. Continue with our plans, and I'll have an informant of mine investigate them." Jaune's words gave his small team a sense of ease, though it was still unnerving to know a dangerous weapon like the Onyx crystal was indeed in multitudes. They all returned to their teams with nary a word left to utter.

During class that day, Ozpin tasked Glynda with continuing to test the limits of team BANE. Though, almost every team she had a team go against the newcomers, they lost. It wasn't until she went against the young team leader herself did she realize that taking down Blake Beildshcmidt would be a feat all on its own. While the girl used no weapon, she more than made up for it in spell casting and strategizing. This time, however, there was to be a one on one match with a match up that made the grown woman question the headmaster's sanity. The entire first year class, and half of the second years were awaiting the match between Blake Beildshcmidt and Jaune Arc to begin. After watching the previous fights, most assumed the blonde leader of JNPR wouldn't last a few seconds. Others hoped that the blonde leader of BANE would tease the knight before beating him to a pulp.

As the two challengers were about to enter the arena, Patchy, surprisingly, was uneasy with the he idea of fighting Jaune. The blonde knight was even more nervous, especially after watching the last few matches. Adelheid was similar to Weiss in her fighting style, but had the attitude of Sun when having to fight alongside with her teammates. In which, she either had to keep them focused or used whatever opportunity she had to steal her opponent's ammo. Noa relied on his quick swings and semblance to keep himself from being taken down quickly. Mochi gave off an equal sense of danger as Nora, when these two went against each other; a fortified barrier was erected around them to ensure their 'fun' didn't get out of hand. Again.

From the stands, (B)ANE watched with hopes that their leader would show a measure of mercy towards a friend. Teams RWBY and (J)NPR on the other hand were preparing to jump in if things went too far. Patchy was well known around the school for being a bit sadistic and ruthless when she fought. But, the last time she fought against team JNPR, she refused to so much as lay on finger on Jaune, for her own reasons.

"Try to go easy on me." Jaune's tone showed he was scared, but had a slimmer of hope that she wouldn't take things too far. Which, at the moment was Patchy's biggest concern.

_Begin_

The beginning of the match was met with stiff movements; Jaune drew his sword but treaded lightly around his challenger. Patchy merely kept a stoic expression while her eyes were glued to the blonde. In a mere instance, the boy charged with his sword high in the air and ready to strike. As it came down, Patchy flexed her hand, causing the steel beneath his feet to twist, breaking Jaune's balance and allowing the girl to high kick him. Hand to hand combat was her specialty, but she did have some practice. Jaune regained his stance after her attack; he charged again, only this time, the little witch opened her palm and collected enough aura to form a fireball and shoot at the blonde. The blast hit his shield, but sent him flying across the stage. The shock of the attack staggered his movements, temporarily. His aura dropped significantly, giving him the impression that Patchy only wanted to get this over with quickly, using little to no power. Jaune enveloped his body in aura; his legs wobbled a little before standing straight.

Patchy continued to look at him with a similar unamused faze, the two knew who would arise as the victor, but that didn't mean the blonde knight would give up so quickly. From the stands, a Pyrrha nearly jumped from her seat when the little witch used that fire spell. It was clear she was holding back, given how their match went, but why? When she showed little to no interest in anyone but her team, why show mercy to Jaune? Ruby wasn't as nervous as the red-haired spartan, however, the manner in which this attack was being performed did worry her.

Jaune rushed again, only this time, as he neared the little witch, he kept watch as she was to cast a spell, using a great deal of aura, he charged at high speed, stopping only when he was mere inches away from the now surprised witch. As his sword was to make contact, Jaune found himself unable to move, his whole body was outlined in purple aura. Once the shock of the knight passing the witch's defenses passed, a faint scowl formed on her face. Without question, she was caught off guard, hell; even her counter just now was out of panic. Though, her scowl was not entirely towards the blonde knight, it was for a continuing loss of control. In her possession was the Onyx crystal, and before her was the man who started a war that ended their world. Rather than take the fight to the Atlesians and rebuild with new allies, Patchy's father decided to send his children on a one-way mission that will possibly have them either die or disappear with the already rearranged time line. All of her built up anger was because of the boy before her, and she was about to make that abundantly clear. With a frightening grin, she used her aura to control the boy as if he were a puppet. The sounds of his resistance, followed by the twisted movements the witch forced him to make caused the onlookers to gaze in horror as the struggling blonde's left arm was dislocated, slowly. At the sound of his agony, Patchy tossed his body aside while attempting to suppress...something. She shook her head continuously, often mumbling to herself in a tongue unknown to the spectators. Jaune arose from the ground, injured and out of breath; he regained his stance and relocated his joints. Painful and gruesome as it was, he wouldn't allow himself to be defeated so easily, not when he had _her_ looking down on him right now. At the moment, his opponent was distracted, and while he wasn't keen on attacking unsuspecting people, his only chance to land a strike would be to do so when his opponent was distracted. He charged forward and managed to actually bash his shield against the witch, sending her tumbling down. The boy had little time to relish in his small achievement, for upon Patchy regaining her stance, an uneasy aura began to drip from her body. Upon raising her head, a trail of blood dripped down from her forehead, the boy could see that her eyes were no longer the mismatched red and blue, but rather, an ominous emotionless white. Her palms flexed, the ground beneath them shook as bits of the metal floor spiraled into a makeshift spear, and ran through the blonde from behind. The attack was swift, and unexpected, leaving the onlookers to look in horror as the blonde knight of JNPR was run through. The gasps and horrid screams were masked only by the slow pace Patchy took to walk up to her father and speak clearly as for the whole attending body could hear.

"The sins of a father pass to his child." With a single flex of her arm, the spear was removed and the blonde's body was forcefully tossed against a nearby wall. Blood spat from his mouth as he fell to the ground, bleeding out. Again, Patchy began pressing her hands against her head, mumbling an incantation of unknown origin.

"Get a medical team into the arena, now!" Glynda shouted over an earpiece while glaring at the young witch. Hers was not the only one; many glares were shot at Patchy, even from her older brother. Sadly, this fight was far from over. After the adrenaline passed, and her eyes reverted to their previous state, Patchy was greeted to the sight of her injured father. This was she was trying to avoid; her hatred and love towards Jaune was mixed, dangerous, and disrupting her control on her emotions. By instinct, she ran to him, hoping to heal his wounds. However, as she approached, a red-haired Spartan dropped down between them, she threw her shield at the witch, catching her off guard and knocking her down. As Pyrrha regained control of her shield, she threw it again out of anger, once again knocking down the witch. She had crossed the line, and now she was paying for it. The rest of JNPR came down and watched over their leader while RWBY and the leader of CVFY jumped into the arena with their weapons in hand.

_ALL STUDENTS STAND DOWN! THE MATCH IS OVER! _

Came blaring over the speakers, and while, reasonably, hey wanted to avenge their friend, they all stood down. What bothered many was the fact that Patchy's team didn't jump in to back her up. The medical team quickly entered the arena and worked on the blonde knight's wounds. Patchy avoided eye contact with everyone, even when Glynda stormed down to the arena. She had the stadium emptied before interrogating the witch of the events that occurred. Coco and Yang stayed behind, in a hiding distance, to gather information. Which wasn't much, Patchy refused to answer any question, and Glynda couldn't exactly beat the answers out of her. Overall, she was suspended from classes for an entire week, which didn't bother her in the slightest.

(B)ANE arrived at the blonde's room, nervous due to their leader's actions earlier. Though, they were welcomed with open arms. Standing on the school's rooftop, Patchy gazed at the city, right now; a community of great importance, and a symbol of prosperity in the Valen kingdom. But, what would happen if the Grimm were to defile this city yet again? Would they be able to repel the attack, or would they have to abandon it this place yet again?

"Hey." Patchy turned slowly to see Adelheid. "I thought I'd find you here, you always did like heights." She stated while taking a spot next to her team leader. "Noa is angry with you, said you went too far today."

Patchy said nothing.

"What happened out there Blake, you're always so calm and collected. Did Jaune say or do something? Shouldn't you be more focused on finding your parents?"

The small witch glanced to a monkey Faunus determined to gain answers from her friend.

"You still haven't noticed, have you?"

Adelheid's expression shifted to a confused expression.

"He's Jaune Arc...he is my father."

This information, although known by Noa and Mochi, completely flew over Adelheid's head. "Blake...I didn't…"

"Just leave me alone. Or I'll do the same thing I did to Jaune, to you."

Patchy's words were cold, and held a great deal of annoyance in them. The more frightening fact was that if Patchy swore to anything, she'd make good on her words, especially threats. Without trying to continue their conversation, Adelheid departed from her company and returned inside.

Night fell on Beacon, though, while all but the patrolling staff were fast asleep, a single blonde wandered about. Her aim was towards the Recovery Wing, an adept cloaking spell allowed her to sneak around without being seen. Upon reaching the room where her father lay wounded and unconscious since the match, Patchy felt hesitant to enter. The feeling of guilt for her lack of control still clouded her thoughts. Also, she wasn't ready for Pyrrha's sudden attacks and wasn't keen on getting jumped again. While her father was known for his fast self-recovery, this version of him is still only a tenth of the man who raised her. The others had every right to be mad at her, but because of her actions at the moment, the onyx crustal would only corrupt one. As she watched her father sleep, memories began to play in Patchy's head from her early childhood. She could see herself running through the wheat fields, laughing as her father chased after her and Noa in a game of tag. The cold breeze and the warmth from the sun were feelings that lingered. But the joy, the love; it was all fading. Spending the majority of her time gathering her father's entries, the spells she had to cast to keep_ it_ at bay, and deciphering Jaune's theories all came to one conclusion on the onyx gem, a secret she believed her father initially rejected before accepting the truth; the onyx gem...is alive. Not in the sense that it has a physical form or can communicate through speech, but rather, is a hive of collected souls, twisted and used as energy. That energy, however, is never contained, it leaks from the gem and corrupts any and all within its influence. Up until now, only one has shielded all from the object's power, but for long? Only she knew how much longer her spells would hold out. And her pride, given to her from both her parents, would not allow her to admit defeat so easily. With her right palm, Patchy gently caressed the sleeping blonde's face, as if she were a mother protecting her little one. "It was happening to you too...and now..." Her left arm clenched tightly into an object as a black slim was beginning to envelop her skin. Only momentarily, however, as she regained control and subdued the thing with less problems than the last. The pain of _its_ presence was excruciating, whether it was attempting to take over or if she was subduing it. Gently, the young witch pressed her forehead against Jaune's.

"Please help me, father. I'm frightened...and I don't know what to do..." Patchy whispered to the unconscious blonde. Perhaps the only people she ever allowed to see her soft side were her parents, and even if he wasn't the father she knew, Patchy still held Jaune to the same respect as a father. Knowing no answer would be given, she closed her eyes, keeping in any form of sadness that wanted out, and gazed again to her father. As she sat in the dark, a lullaby her father used to sing to her sprung to mind. The words and tune were still clear to her. Though, when she was young, the meaning of those lyrics would often confuse her. Only now, did she realize what her father sang to her; a tribute, to times forgotten and a lingering hope. Was sending his children back in time his plan all along? To fix the mistakes he made? So many questions that she could never gain an answer from swam in her conscious. As softly as she could, she sang the lullaby to the unconscious boy.

_"Wait in the dark_

_With the memories that replay my lonesome fears_

_And my mind is betrayed by time passing by_

_And I just need you to wake up_

_I'm gonna need you to save us_

_And take me home" _

Within her left palm, Patchy tightly clutched on to the Onyx gem, and with her right, she held on to her father's hand. Using a nearby chair to block the door, she lay beside Jaune and allowed her head to rest over his shoulder.

_"Feel the madness taking over_

_While you lie in frozen sleep_

_And though my life's now fading_

_You're still a promise I will keep_

_Wait in the dark _

_Every feeling becomes so magnified _

_And my mind goes on and on_

_I'm trying to hold on_

_But I keep losing control of_

_All I know..._

_And though my life's now fading_

_You're still a promise I will keep_

_You'll always be...my sword, my shield..."_

Slowly, Patchy's eyes closed, falling asleep next to Jaune. Two tear drops fell from her eyes as her mind allowed her to drift off into a peaceful slumber. From the window of the room, a small head poked out from the curtains and quietly tiptoed towards the side of the bed where Patchy lay beside Jaune. Her brown/pink eyes glared at the young girl holding on to her blonde. After watching the video taken of her pulverizing Jaune, and to see how she reacts now, it angered her. But it was her previous words that made this situation all the more intriguing. As she reached for the sleeping girl's head, a dagger was suddenly placed at her neck. The image of the sleeping child vanished; an illusion. With a quiet and swift movement, Patchy dragged the unknown outside and on to the school's rooftop. She threw the equally sized woman away, but kept her dagger at the ready. However, it was not a glare she sported, but a sinister grin.

"I thought you were better than this." Patchy teased.

The woman arose from the floor with her parasol in hand. She twirled it around before disappearing, giving Patchy little time to deflect the sudden attack. The way in which she barely managed to counter showed how unprepared she was with her mother's style. Luckily, she did manage to pull off a few techniques of hers on this younger version. As the two continued to spar for a few minutes, eventually the unknown woman managed to cut the young girl's arm, leaving the witch the smart decision to back up quickly. Though, as she tried to regain her ground, she was flanked and pushed down, a foot pressed heavily against her back. Glancing to the one holding her down, she could see something similar she demonstrated earlier; changing eye color to a pure white. This woman was clearly angry, and willing to run this little witch through for what she did to Jaune. The unknown readied her blade high in the air; Patchy glanced up and saw the tip of the blade ready to come down on her. She smile, and laid her head back down, almost if accepting her fate.

"To be beaten so easily…I see, so this is a punishment...I accept it, though, I wish we could've met on better terms, Neo."

**And done! This chapter was short, I know, and I'm sorry, but I'm just getting back into writing after a rather long list of personal issues.**

**Also, quick note to anyone who doesn't know, that little song Patchy sings is a tribute made by Malukah called Frozen Sleep. **

**So, I will be continuing this story and all my other RWBY fics until the end. Thank you all for sticking with the story, yes I read them and I'm motivated to continue further. Again, to the readers, thank you for your support, and thanks for reading!**


	11. Loss of the Witch

The muffled cries of Patchy meant nothing to Neo as she slowly jabbed the child with her blade, twisting it as it went further into her skin. She expected a swift death, but Patchy failed to remember what her mother did as a profession in her younger years. While she knew the woman to be sadistic, this form of punishment was a bit too much. But, if she was going to die here, Patchy decided to make it worth a loss. Besides, there were some issues she needed to get off her chest.

"I love him too, you know." She stated, her voice raspy with a trickle of blood dripping from, her mouth. Neo stopped playing around and grabbed the young witch by her hair and tossed her violently aside. Rising slowly from the floor, Patchy coughed up a bit of blood before raising her head to face her mother. "But...not the same way you do." A forceful kick to her stomach knocked the wind out of the little blonde. She didn't fight back, which was surprising considering how well she was known to hold her own. Instead, she took the beating with no resistance. Again, as she tried to regain her breath, Neo towered over her with a venomous glare.

"I suppose, a better phrase to describe how I feel about him is..."

Neo's fists clenched, she punched the young one in a last attempt to shut her up, she drew her sword to finish her off before she could say anything else. She grabbed Patchy by her hair and kept her on her knees while raising her head to look one another in the eye. Neo positioned her blade to the witch's neck and readied herself for a single swing. All the while, Patchy merely grinned. Irritating the pink-haired woman even more, she raised her weapon flashing an eerie grin of her own.

"You can choose your friends, but you can't choose your family." As the blade was to sever the bond between her neck and head, it stopped almost as soon as she said that quote. While the expression on Neo's face shifted to confusion, the anger lingered.

"?" Neo's blade tip pressed against the witch's neck while the wielder gave a glare that demanded answers.

Smiling, Patchy answered. "So now, you decide to listen?"

Though, with no intention of listening to this child's rants, Neo once again readied her blade to decapitate the witch, only to have a hand forcefully stop hers. She turned to see Jaune, his head bandaged, but with a frightening aura emitting from his being. Neo hesitated before trying to remove his grip and finish what she intended to do. Jaune merely brought her close to his face. "Enough. She has something we need, don't kill her yet."

"?!" Neo argued with signs of tears escaping her eyes.

"Cinder will be pissed if she finds out that you lost what we could've gained. It's not something I'm letting you get in trouble for."

"!" The pink-haired woman shook her head as she wanted to kill the girl before her. "!"

"I said no, now stand down." Jaune refused to allow his partner to kill someone this young, especially after she claimed to be a member of his family. After struggling for a good two minutes, Neo finally gave up. Not easily, however, as she continued to give off a hostile glare towards the witch. Lowered her head and sighed, not out of relief, but out of fatigue. Jaune, dressed in a white shirt and pants, sat across from Patchy and held out his hand.

"Give me the gem." He demanded bluntly.

Patchy's eyes widened for a moment before a grin spread across her face, giggling shortly after. Her actions both confused and slightly frightened the two before her. The young witch held her hand to Jaune, and slowly opened her palm to reveal the truth of her actions. What Jaune and Neo saw kept them in a shocked state. The onyx gem could be seen, but the bottom half of the crystal was embedded into the young witch's palm, streaks of black could be seen across her hand. The small victorious attempts the gem had in possessing the child.

"Sorry, but I'm afraid we're a packaged deal." Patchy commented with a small attempt to jest. Knowing the questions that would follow, and how little her time was, she gave her father and mother the answers they would need. "I used the gem to amplify my abilities, but in order to do so I needed to allow the crystal to merge with my aura. Now, the gem is attempting to fuse with me. Or, perhaps more correctly, integrate my soul and use my body for a physical form. You're a bit of a fool, if you allowed her to slay me; the gem would've taken my body. But during its corruption process, the gem itself would've been in an immensely fragile state. You could've destroyed it..."

Jaune took in everything the girl was saying, but, understandably, questioned whether her words were true or not.

"The onyx gem isn't what you think it is...it's not just a gem, but rather, a collection of souls being used as energy. In short; yes, it's a weapon, and souls are its recharge. If Cinder has one in her possession, and if she knew the raw power this thing creates, what makes you think she will hesitate?" This sudden revelation caught the blonde knight off guard. He'd been studying up on the crystal, but the texts weren't exactly telling of the properties and abilities the gem had or could do. Only that it was powerful, and its noticeable ability was used to battle the Grimm, or call them to your aid. The blonde knight glanced to the young girl with a sympathetic expression, her father lost everything to assure this gem didn't fall into the wrong hands, but from how she described; it was all for nothing.

"So let her do it, let her kill me." Upon looking up to her father's eyes, she smiled and cried, feeling only joy and satisfaction. "Don't you see? I did it; I've found a way to destroy it. Twenty-three years you've lived with the guilt, and I've done what you found but refused to attempt, father..." Wearily, Patchy's eyes began closing, her blood continued flowing from her wound, not to mention her injuries weren't something to overlook. Before the blonde knight could act, the young girl's hands reached out to caress her father's face. Her eyes shifted from Jaune to Neo. "I did it; I brought you your answer. Are you…finally proud of me...mama, papa?" In mere seconds, Patchy fainted from the blood loss, falling into a small puddle of her own blood, leaving both Jaune and Neo with the words she just uttered. The gem began to act on the dying girl by spreading unto her forearm, leaving the two partners to act on impulse and use their auras to suppress the spreading corruption. Their quick thinking stopped the spread, but streaks of black were now embedded across the young witch's forearm. Whatever they did kept Patchy intact, but now they needed to deal with her wounds and the newfound danger this gem posed.

Having been taught by Ren in healing spells over the past few months, Jaune went straight to work on the young girl's wounds. From the edge of the roof, an unknown jumped up, her crimson red eyes showed little to no emotion as she walked up to Jaune and Neo. She heard everything, from the gem's true purpose to words she uttered to the blonde and pink-haired woman before fainting.

"Emerald?" The blonde was hoping not to run into someone from Cinder's closest associates, especially this loyal diehard. Knowing her, she'd take what was learned here and give Cinder everything. But at the moment, while she could've done so without revealing herself, Emerald decide to find answers on this little revelation.

"Is it true?" She asked the blonde knight. "What she said?"

Jaune glanced to the unconscious child before frowning. "I don't know, a part of me believes her, but somehow I feel like she's still hiding something about the gem."

"No, I meant about her being a part of your family." She knew the subject she was touching on would only put the blonde in an unsettling mood. Especially when he had to come home to a slaughtered household, knowing full well not a single soul was spared. Emerald and Mercury were to act as escorts for the boy as he was to claim what was promised upon the completion of his deal with Cinder. However, when the blonde knight discovered his entire family murdered. His cries as he held his mother's cold body still ran chills up her spine even now. She felt sympathy for him, having to watch as he buried them, one by one. Emerald knew Jaune resented Cinder, no; he cringed at the fact that the woman was still alive when she went back on their deal. Why he decided to continue working for them was confusing. Cinder assumed she broke the boy; giving him no family and keeping record of the crime he committed for her. Emerald kept a close eye on the blonde, especially after these newcomers came into picture. When Jaune was being beaten to a pulp earlier, she recorded it, and rather than show it to Cinder, she showed it to Neo, whom was fuming with rage by then. Putting it simply; Emerald was Neo's escort at the moment. If the small woman wanted to kill Patchy after what she did to Jaune, who was Emerald to stop her? Though, after hearing everything that was exchanged between them, now, more than before, Emerald began to question Cinder's intentions, and what the people working for her meant to her.

"I'm not sure..." Jaune mumbled. Once he sealed the blade wounds and tended to the infected portion of her hand, Jaune gently picked up Patchy bridal style and began walking to the entrance to the school.

"?" Neo caught Jaune's sleeve before he went inside.

"We're going to see Ozpin."

"!?"

"Yes, 'WE' are going to see him, there's something I need verified, and only he has access to a quick answer. Also..." He gazed to sleeping girl, who cuddled closer to Jaune out of instinct, ticking off Neo in the process. "I want to know who she is."

"I'm coming with you." Emerald declared. "I have some questions of my own about the gem."

"What about Cinder?" Jaune asked, knowing the minty-haired girl would have to check in with her boss if she was gone for too long.

"I'll get Mercury to cover for me, he owes me a favor." She insisted. While Jaune was uneasy about taking these 'terrorists' to the school's headmaster, he needed help with Patchy's condition. Ozpin was there only hope on the matter, with any luck, there wouldn't be an altercation.

Within 30 minutes, the small group took the injured girl to the headmaster, and after filling him in with every single detail, Ozpin reluctantly agreed to help. Though, he kept a close eye on them as they were taken to an underground section of the school. The room they were taken to had a single row of recovery pods, mainly used for critically injured patients, or so they hoped. Jaune gently placed Patchy in one and allowed Ozpin to examine the intensity of her condition. As of now, after what Jaune told him earlier, she seemed to be in stable condition. Though, once they knew what the young girl was holding, well, the headmaster wasted no time interrogating Jaune and his company. While reluctant, the blonde knight spoke for Neo, given her situation. It took an entire hour to give a detailed explanation of what occurred, as well as the information Patchy gave before passing out. Emerald and Neo's identity's were still incognito as far as Ozpin was concerned, what had his attention was this talk of the Onyx crystal. To think one of his students would be caught up in something this dark, though, it did explain a bit about the young girl and her powers. All this time she expressed great control and little to no limits on her abilities, all of it was because of the crystal. Ozpin glanced to the pod containing the young child; the pulsating streaks of black from the gem gave him a sense of dread for when she would awake. Especially if this time, Patchy couldn't fight back the corruption. The headmaster quietly walked over to Patchy and used the pod's inner machines to extract blood from her. Once the needle collected a sample, the headmaster then opened two pods nearby and turned back to the teens before him.

"Professor?" The blonde wondered what his headmaster was going to do, considering the fact that he kept knowledge of the Onyx crystal from Ozpin's ears until now.

The headmaster fixed his glasses before explaining. "While we cannot, at the moment, prove most of Ms. Blake's theories without a shred of the proof she has gathered, we can, however, seek one answer on our own." Turning away from the teens, Ozpin went to work preparing the tests needed. "I have a theory, crazy it may sound, but given the circumstances, I may be right. With a simple blood test, we'll find out soon enough if she is a relative of yours or not, Mr. Arc. However, given how she used both parental honorifics, I would ask that your...companion allow me to test her DNA against Blake's."

Instinctively, Neo backed away, unwilling to allow this professor to take even bring a needle near her. Leaving Jaune to convince her, privately.

The two stood arguing in another room, leaving Ozpin and the minty-haired girl in an awkward silence. From their position, they could hear the shouts coming from the other room, or more correctly, Jaune's shouts. For some reason, he was able to read Neo's subtle gestures, leaving her the option to talk or remain silent with her gestures. The latter was the norm for when they spoke; it was mainly Jaune who was the voice of the young woman. From a large window panel, their expressions could be seen, giving those on the other side a vague idea of how their argument was going. For a brief moment, Neo seemed stubborn with her decision to refuse extraction of her DNA, and while Jaune wanted to respect his partner's wishes, Patchy knew more about the Onyx gem, and he couldn't let her answers die with her. In addition, her little revelation left him with the urge to confirm whether they had any blood ties. Neo, herself, was curious about the girl and her striking resemblance to the blonde knight. Though, given the manner in which she mercilessly beat the little one prior to the events that led them here gave her a troubling sense of guilt. If this kid was in some manner related to Jaune, than he would hold this attack against her, and that was a risk she couldn't take. Not that she would try to make amends, but she'd at least make an effort to be less…hostile in the future.

As Emerald sat in an eerie silence with the headmaster of Beacon, her eyes drifted to the pod containing the witch. It was a momentary glance at first, though when her eyes caught glimpse of white and black streaks pulsating on the young girl, she instinctively began shoving the headmaster side to side while pointing at the pod. The two quickly reacted as they noticed the blonde sweating like crazy; all the while her expressions indicated an immense feeling of pain. Jaune and Neo noticed the two jump to action and returned to the room. They were treated initially with a small muffle, followed by a shrieking cry as Blake's body began shaking violently. Ozpin opened the pod and attempted to reinforce the seal Jaune and Neo placed on the witch, but was unsuccessful as the corruption tried to attach itself to him as well. Jaune ran to the young girl and used his aura to reinforce his barrier, hoping he would succeed where Ozpin failed. To his surprise, it worked, or so it seemed. As the black streaks began to recede, a flash of white emitted from the Blake's body, blinding the small group for a few minutes before seceding. What was left in its wake was enough for even the headmaster to question what logic in Remnant was, in any sense of the word: Truth. The young witch had, in what seemed like a physical sense, reverted in age. Her height was half of Neo, her hair was longer, and her entire left forearm was as black as the gem that was now embedded into her palm.

"What...what just happened?" The blonde knight's question was not just his own, all who just witnessed this little event wanted to know exactly how a fourteen year old reverted back to an age of...well, her age was still undefined. For all they knew, her body might've changed, yet, her mentality might still be that of the Patchy they knew. Then again, there was also the possibility of her memories being lost to this transformation. But, what mattered at the moment was that she still alive. As of now, she slept peacefully, Emerald and Neo watched over her for any further surprises while Ozpin continued to speak with Jaune.

"Jaune, are you sure there isn't anything you haven't already told me?" The headmaster asked his student, somewhat ticked at this point. To think a dangerous item was in the possession of a young child, and if not for the intervention on the roof, her condition could've worsened. Or, perhaps, it was that vey fight that escalated the corruption. Then again, there was also the possibility, as Jaune mentioned earlier, she allowed herself to be infected on purpose.

"I swear I didn't know she had something like that in her possession." In a way, his answer was vaguely true, for the true purpose of the gem was still a mystery to him up until this point. While Ozpin wanted to believe the boy, a piece of him began questioning Jaune and his affiliation with these two women, rightfully so. "Professor, what's happening to her?"

A question Ozpin wished he had the answer to, but at the moment Jaune's guess was as good as his. "I don't know, with the blood I've extracted, I'll run some tests. Whether they give us any answer to her condition is still unknown. But, it's a start. In the meantime, watch over her...oh, and Jaune?"

As the blonde turned to his headmaster, he noticed a needle in the man's hand, knowing what he wanted; the blonde knight rolled up his sleeve and allowed the headmaster to take some of his blood. It took another hour, but after enough persuasion, Neo reluctantly allowed Ozpin to take some of hers as well. It was clear she hated needles, but the situation called for any answer they could obtain. Ozpin went to work with his tests. Leaving Emerald to watch over the small witch, Jaune and Neo left to a Coalition meeting taking place a few clicks north of the school.

Morning dawned; the weekend was now beginning for the students of Beacon. Though, a few leagues into the forest, unbeknownst to Valens alike, the Coalition leaders met to discuss their plans for their upcoming rise to power. The White Fang was reluctant to work with humans of any kind, and it showed, but even their leaders understood the value of a unified force fighting oppression. The meeting went as they expected; Cinder made many promises, the leaders discussed compensation for their efforts, and Roman acted as the median for their proposals. Jaune attended, but remained as more of an independent. He was in the Coalition, leading a battalion of 324 soldiers, or perhaps more correctly, what remained of his original sized force. Cinder's assignments were intended to make sure he didn't return, but what she didn't account for was the careful planning and trust his troops had for him. While no mission was without losses, Jaune did make sure to plan out missions thoroughly, and keep each and every one of his soldiers well-kept and protected while they were on standby. As for the groups that joined, it was the blonde knight who brought a majority of them together. In fact, their impression of the boy and his record for actually caring for his troops kept him in high regards with the leaders similar to him. Though, seeing as Cinder was the head of the faction, it was her job to keep them in line. In most cases, the blonde would often disagree with a majority of Cinder's plans, mainly those that used the grunts as collateral. In those disagreements, a majority of the leaders sided with Jaune. Annoying the woman to a great degree, she wanted to rid herself of the blonde knight, but by doing so, she'd remove a great asset to her arsenal. The boy had excellent communication skills, not to mention he even brought Adam Taurus to their side, which, at the time, she believed to have sent the boy on a suicide mission. Not to say he didn't return with unnoticeable scars, but the two seemed to speak a lot during these meetings. Not out of some kind of friendship, but out of mutual respect.

"And so, with our infiltration teams keeping the hunters of Beacon distracted the Coalition moves into the city. Our virus will reprogram the Atlesian machines to our advantage, the confusion will add to their losses, and with the Grimm overrunning their defenses; we will rise as the victors of the uprising." Cinder finished, gaining a few noticeable smirks from the leaders. Others glanced to the blonde knight whom frowned for a second before shaking his head.

"Something you'd like to add?" Cinder asked holding back an eerie grin she wanted to flash at the blonde.

"Your plan depends on two key elements; my team keeping entire school, filled with hunters and students from other kingdoms if I may add, distracted enough keep little resistance in the city. It's a suicide run, and unlike you, I don't just sit on the sidelines and wait for the heavy fire to die down. While our attack will catch them by surprise, and, no doubt, with the aid of the White Fang, we will surely hold our own for however long we can hold a line. However, it will be costly, and I'm not going to lead my team to their deaths. Secondly, I strongly object to using the Grimm, it may not end well for us. It's unwise to play with creatures we know nothing about. Perhaps you can subdue them for a time, but these aren't normal beasts that can be tamed. There is no guarantee they can be subdued forever." Jaune's words gathered more nods and murmurs of agreement than Cinder's plan laid out.

"Need I remind you that you have no right to deny an order from me?" Cinder asked smugly, hoping to reinforce her position as the head of the snake.

The blonde smiled and, like in most meetings, faced down Cinder with little concern of retaliation. "Need I remind you of why I'm here, Falls? This may be your army, but right now you're endangering my soldiers. Their lives matter to me, yours does not."

Once again, the boy gathered more support than she could, and to make it worse, even Taurus seemed to agree, justifiably, against sending his people into a suicide mission. Using the Grimm, though, is where he disagreed with the blonde knight, but fighting alongside his people was what made Adam a respected leader of the White Fang. The meeting went on for thirty minutes before a break was decided, allowing Cinder to rant on in her tent about Jaune's annoying defiance, again.

"Every single time. Every. Single. Time! I can't take this anymore. That boy is driving me insane!" She shouted.

"Yea, but people do like him." Mercury pointed out while flipping through a comic he obtained from a previous mission.

"Not to mention the success in the missions we've given him. He's not the best fighter, but most of the people who've joined our cause would follow him into a Grimm infested city if he asked them to. Not to mention the unquestionable loyalty those under his command have for him. By killing him, you'll have a little over 300 pissed off soldiers coming after you, not to mention the leaders that are only here because of him will split. With those losses, your little alliance would be as good as dead. Whether you like him or not is of little concern, he's valuable." Roman added.

"But he won't listen to me!" Cinder argued directly to Roman's face. "If I say white, he says black. I say left, he goes right! Even now, when we're so close to our objective, he refuses to pledge his loyalty. There's even talk in the Coalition of people having second thoughts. His defiance is undermining everything I've built! And even now he doesn't try to hide the fact that he hates me! Is that what you call an alliance?!"

"Then just swallow your pride and make peace with him." Mercury commented, as if it were an obvious move to make.

Cinder took a minute to breath before responding. "Even if I tried making peace with him, the boy won't listen to me. He's more likely to run me through than speak to me."

"And whose fault is that? Who made promises and then decided to go back on her word?" Mercury came close to shouting out what Cinder had done to make the blonde knight hate her so much.

"I'll have Taurus speak to him." Roman intervened, attempting to ease the situation. It was clear that Jaune's influence was beginning to mask Cinder's, but the fact that he showed no intention of betraying the people within the Coalition allowed the sense of paranoia to ease ever so slightly.

Near a cliff, Jaune sat near the edge, a bottle of wine and a loaf of bread were his breakfast on this little outing. For him, it was a nostalgic sense to rest in a setting like this. A soft breeze, shade from a nearby tree blocking the sun, the sweet scent of honey kept his mind at ease. The Grimm could be seen from his position; their focus was on their migration path. If only for this second, they seemed harmless, even peaceful. The sounds of footsteps made him turn to greet a masked Faunus standing over him.

"Mind if I join?" Adam asked.

Jaune gestured the man to sit next to him. They both glanced at the scenery; a sea of trees, signs of more Grimm in the distance, and no sounds of clashing metal or explosions to fill their ears. This kind of setting was what both men set out for, but in different paths. Regardless, a life without hatred and fear for their people was what these two sought, and it was a mission they could seek one another's assistance for. However, being in this coalition meant making compromises and hardened decisions, even Taurus knew this.

"You know, in order for this coalition to actually work, we need everyone to be willing to work with one another. I'm not fond of working for Cinder either, but she's our best bet at having our voices heard." Adam commented, taking Jaune's loaf and splitting it in half.

The boy smirked and took a sip of wine. "The _'leader'_ sends you to make her apologies?"

"The last thing we need is a fight amongst ourselves. I know she's unbearable, and cares little to nothing for the ground troops, but you do. If you haven't noticed before, many of the leaders are only here because they know you'll be fighting with them, with Coalition in the fray alongside the soldiers. I hate to say it, but if you decided to leave, they'd follow, and even I would…consider taking my troops with me." The two chuckled lightly as the White Fang leader reluctantly admitted following the lead of a human. The blonde gestured his bottle to Taurus, the man agreed and took a swig before realizing the drink the blonde had. Jaune laughed lightly as Adam attempted to recompose himself after having a small coughing fit.

"Athenian Brandy, you should've warned me." Taurus muttered as he ate the piece of bread in his hand. Jaune was left to give his simple response.

"I'll never be enthralled to that woman, nor will I ever fight for her. Do you know what it is I truly fight for? I fight for the whispered names of loved ones from the dying breaths of my comrades whilst I held them in my arms, I fight a kingdom that has ignored and oppressed its people while claiming to be a fair and just government! I fight for a peace that our people deserve! I fight...because I must. But when the day comes, when freedom and peace is ours, when I find no reason to shed further blood, I will gladly put down my sword." In his rant, the blonde stood and raised his voice, giving his deliverance more of an impact.

"For that reason I accepted your call to arms, and for that I willingly fight alongside you. Isn't it simple enough to just swallow your pride?" Adam asked taking another sip from the bottle of brandy.

"Things are less simple today." Jaune responded sitting back down.

"Yes, well, women have a way of complicating things." Adam hinted to a small brown and pink peeking from a nearby tree. The two shared another simple chuckle before Arc gave his last response to Taurus.

"Of all the leaders in the Coalition, I respect you the most. But in this war, you're a servant."

"Sometimes, a leader has to serve in order to lead. I'm hoping you'll understand that someday, for her at least." Adam nudged him playfully before arising and walking back to the meeting. Their interactions were almost always like this; Adam being sent by Roman to ease the growing tension between Cinder and Jaune, all the while, the two men would eat and speak of things they agreed on, but, in the same manner, they disagreed on similar subjects. Like two old men, they spoke their philosophies and shared honest thoughts. At first, Taurus had suspicions of this Coalition and distrusted many of the leaders, though; having fought alongside Jaune in numerous missions, there was a slimmer of respect they shared. Clearly, Adam and Jaune didn't see one another as friends, but rather, brothers in arms fighting a common enemy and would die for their people to achieve it. Clearly, Jaune wasn't as strong, or even remotely close to the level Adam was, but the bonds he forged with his fellow Coalition paved his position in the alliance.

Once Adam left, Neo walked up and sat on the blonde's lap, both smiling and enjoying the view together. This sort of thing happened from time to time, whether they were watching movies or simply just relaxing, Neo would ignore personal space. Not that Jaune minded, seeing as how this was as close to a woman as he believed to ever getting close to, especially in his line of work. Neo wasn't exactly the first choice he had for a romantic partner, but getting to know her more and more had him doubt his previous Intel on her. Regardless, they were partners in combat, and nothing more.

"..." She mumbled while lying back against the boy's chest.

"It is. You know, someday, I want to live like this; no cities, no loud and heavy machines. A peaceful and quiet homestead was something along the lines of a good life in my opinion. My dad wanted me to be a hunter like him, but, truthfully, that's not a future I envisioned."

"...?..." Neo asked, lightly blushing.

"Does my future involve you?"

The small woman quickly covered the blonde's mouth, now with a full-face blush. Whether he was playing with her or honestly ignorant, it was rather unclear to her. Though, before receiving a response, a small ring from Jaune's scroll caught their attention. As the blonde opened the message, Neo leaned over to him.

"?"

"Yea, it's Emerald, she says he needs to see us. Now."

"?..."

"Cinder doesn't need me to close a deal; she can convince them on her own. Besides, I'm not some tool she can use whenever she wants. And my troops won't so much as wield a gun unless I give the order. Let's go."

Without much hesitation, the two left towards. Neo was placed as Jaune's partner to keep an eye on him, though, as time went on, they grew closer. Roman assumed the blonde was merely attempting to infiltrate their circle and kill Cinder when given the chance. So he assigned the pink-haired girl as his partner. If Neo fell in one of their missions, then he'd have a reason to rid himself of the boy. However, it was during his first mission that, not only did he solidify his commitment to the Coalition, but slowly earned Neo's loyalty from there on. She always accompanied him on assignments, even if they were simple and straightforward. At first, Cinder assumed she had control of the broken boy after he discovered his dead family, however, she soon found him quite the handful without any leverage to use against him. Not to mention the respect and influence he had over her was well enough to keep her paranoid of him.

As the two managed to enter the school grounds undetected and with little obstacles, they found Ozpin waiting outside the recovery room. Muffled sounds of crashes and small helps could be heard from their side. Ozpin seemed rather calm; considering what could be occurring on the other side.

"I assumed you were going back to the infirmary, it was quite the scene when your friends discovered you were missing." The headmaster pointed out while reading through a list of the damages caused during their frantic search. "Luckily, Goodwitch managed to calm them down, though, not before Ms. Valkyrie led an extensive and costly hunt around the school...but, what I wanted to speak to you two about is..." A loud crash from the recovery room had even Ozpin jump a bit.

"Will you calm down already?!" Came Emerald's frantic muffled voice.

Before Jaune could ask, Ozpin explained. "Ms. Blake awoke a little while ago, at the moment; your friend is...playing with her."

"Playing?" Jaune asked with a hint of hesitation.

The headmaster slowly opened the doors greeting their sights was Emerald face first on the floor with a small blonde dressed in simple white shirt and pants sitting atop of her. There were visible burn and tear marks on her clothing. The majority of the room had scorch marks, a few of the pods were damaged extensively, and parts of the metallic room were noticeably bent. As her head arose, Emerald's eyes darted to the three adults by the door. "Oh thank Oum." She uttered with a sigh of relief. Though, taking a single glance at the situation, just as quickly as they entered, the three left and locked the door.

"Hey! You get your ass back here!" Emerald shouted before another shrieking cry could be heard from the other side.

"So, what game are they playing?" The blonde asked with an empty smile.

"Tag, if I remember correctly." Ozpin responded with a similar expression.

At the present moment, RWBY, (J)NPR, (B)ANE, Sun, and Coco were gathered in the school courtyard. After receiving a rather long and harsh lecture from Goodwitch, the teams were left to wonder where the two blondes escaped to. Jaune was injured, but the fact that he was missing meant either his injuries were healed quickly and he decided to go off somewhere, or someone had him. Goodwitch was sent by Ozpin to assure them that Jaune was fine, however, it didn't help that Patchy was also missing and how she showed an intense hatred for Jaune. Both here, and the first time they met, as recalled by Blake.

"My sister doesn't hate him, he just reminds her of someone she..." Noa hesitated, he wanted to protect his sister's image, and her wellbeing if these people actually got their hands on her. He couldn't say anything unless he revealed some portion of their origins. A handful of these teens would be smart enough to put the pieces together' given enough time, but even Noa couldn't comprehend why she went ballistic yesterday. What frightened him more was the fact that he could sense her aura spike multiple times last night, and then, in a brief instance, it vanished, without a single trace. He wanted to find his sibling, quickly, but not while these people were over his shoulder searching for her as well.

"Ok, no point in wasting time just sitting her, let's split up into groups of three and keep looking for them." Yang declared. "Here are the groups; Sun, Weiss, and Adelhay."

"Adelheid." The white-haired Faunus corrected, though it fell on empty ears.

"Ruby, Nora, and Eirin. Blake, Pyrrha, and Ren. And lastly, Noa, Coco, and me. Any questions?"

"Uh..." Noa was trying to object, but soon found himself unable to speak with Yang's arm hung around his neck.

"Good! Okay teams, do your best." Regardless of his hesitation, Noa was pulled by both Yang and Coco towards the forest. The others, with nothing much else to do, went into their assigned groups and searched for the two missing blondes.

Having Ruby, Nora, and Eirin in the same team raised a bit of an alarm, so Blake and her group decided to act as chaperones for this troublemakers. As it was predicted, the trio snuck off on a wild assumption of what they believed happened to the missing friends, leaving the rest to look for them before any more shenanigans caught Goodwitch's attention.

With Yang's group, the brawler and mini gun wielder kept an intense eye on the pink-haired brother of Patchy. The boy might not be as bright as his sibling, but he was damn near impossible to take down alone. Granted, he always trained with Eirin to keep his skills up, but when he lost against Yang, it was fair to say that the brawler didn't find it wise to take him on again without Nora at least. Though, it's also important to note that the only time they've seen Noa as close to upset was when his sister was captured during their first meeting. Other than that, the boy was relatively calm most of the time. The walk, at the moment, was in absolute awkward silence. Feeling the need to ease tension between him and these huntresses, Noa planned to make conversation, but achieve something while doing so.

"You know..." His words caught both their attention as they neared the cliff of Emerald forest. "You remind me of an old friend my father had." He looked at Coco, who grinned at his comparison.

"Really? Was she smart, beautiful, and skilled?" She replied.

"Oh yea, leagues above you though."

Yang laughed a bit, though, Coco was far from amused by his little insult.

"So tell us, what was she like?" The brawler asked, a bit intrigued by his story.

"Well, if I'm honest, I can say that she and my father weren't exactly the best of friends after an...incident in the past. In fact, she was sent to hunt my father down. Why she decided to let him live after what he did in his earlier years still eludes me. Maybe, and this is my best guess; my father was the closest thing to a friend she had left in this world." Noa's tone began drifting towards a darker feeling as he remembered what his sister told him of their father's past. Hell, he even wrote about it in his journal. Coco and Yang were speechless, and all this time they believed Patchy had a twisted personal secret of herself. It might run in the family.

Knowing the tone he just set, Noa tried to lighten the mood. "Also, I kinda had a bit of a crush on her growing up." He admitted while scratching the back of his head nervously. Hearing this, the two giggled a bit while picturing a small pink-haired boy with a cliché crush on an older woman. "She was like an aunt to me...a less sadistic female figure if I'm blunt. I admired and respected her greatly, especially for what she did for Mochi."

"Mochi?" Yang asked, still unaware of the nickname used for Eirin.

"The bunny version of Nora." Coco pointed out. "But beside that, what did this woman do for Eirin?"

Noa stopped again, only this time, he turned to face the two women with him. His eyes foreshadowed a bit of history he preferred to avoid, but had the intention that it would give them a better insight of who Mochi was, and why she is the way she is without giving too much of their origins away.

"Mo...Eirin lost both of her parents as a kid. Our village book keeper took her in as a favor for my father, they were close, and she did have a unique 'persuasive' tactic for selling books. She was, genuinely, happy. But during a raid on our village, she was left alone again. It was that woman who gave Eirin the motherly love she needed, trained her to fight, and disciplined her the way a caring mother would." Noa seemed to enjoy most of his nostalgia, though; he did appear to be on the verge of tears when describing Mochi's loss. This sentiment was one he felt alone, Coco and Yang couldn't help but feel sympathy for the young girl who lost two families; her birth parents and the one who took her in and raised her.

"Is there a chance we can meet this woman, the friend of your father?" Coco asked, curious as to who caught the boy's eyes. Knowing this, it would make teasing Adelheid all the more fun.

"No, not in this life." Noa replied in a monotone manner. His quick response gave a clear notion as to why they can't meet this woman. "Eirin knows loss, more than any of us in our team. So if at times she gets too clingy, acts like a child, and never takes a situation serious, don't be so harsh on her. She's only trying to keep her mind off painful memories." Noa said nothing else and continued walking. Leaving Coco and Yang with the realization that the words he used to describe Eirin were how she acted on an everyday basis.

With Adelheid's group, she was stuck between Weiss and Sun, interrogated by the white-haired teen, while being teased by the blonde Faunus. She couldn't say she didn't enjoy spending time with them, but they were an odd pair to spend time with. When Sun made a simple joke or talked about how he was a master at stowing away on ships, Weiss scolded him and told him not to encourage Adelheid into joining him on his little adventures. In a way, she felt nostalgic, especially after she made the connection that these two were her parents. Which, honestly, didn't take too long considering their names and similarities. This little match-up was perfect for her, she had both her parents, alive, and acting the way they normally would when she was a child. It was so similar that she couldn't help but smile, catching the attention of her company.

"Something funny?" Sun asked with Weiss pulling on both sides of his cheek out of annoyance.

Adelheid giggled before answering. "The way you two act, you remind me of..." It was then that she realized what Patchy ordered her to keep from these people. She said that they would tell them the truth eventually, but it was too early for such revelation. However, it wasn't just her leader's words that kept her from speaking; it was how she remembered her family that had tears forming near her eyes. Her face remained emotionless as she remembered the many trips she went on with them, the trees her father hid in to avoid her mother, the intensive training her mother put her through growing up, being by her father's side as he exhaled his last breath. Tears flowed down her cheek when the image of her mother giving her life to save her flashed before her eyes.

"Adelheid!?" The flashbacks disappeared instantly as she found herself being shook by Sun. Only then did she realize the tears that were flowing down her cheeks. She smiled and wiped her eyes, though, tears continued to flow. "Sorry, it's nothing, just old memories." She assured.

"Do you wanna talk about it?" Weiss asked.

Was it fine to just make a comparison, not exactly tell them the truth, but to just make a small comparison wasn't a bad thing, was it? Adelheid didn't want to disrespect her team leader, given how Patchy was always the one to clean up after her messes. But, here she was, in front of her parents, both of them. How would they react to her telling them the truth? Would they even believe her?

Deciding to take a chance, Adelheid finally stopped her tears and smiled again. "Well, the way you two bicker reminds me of my own parents."

Weiss' initial reaction was a light blush, followed by a somewhat small pout. Sun, on the other hand, wrapped his arm around the heiress and took it as a small joke. "Really now, hear that mother dear? Our bickering has brought some nostalgia to this little snow flake."

Weiss wasn't amused in the slightest, but rather, drew her rapier and aimed it towards his neck. "Don't touch me you ruffian."

"No need to be so harsh mother dear." Sun joked while backing away. Though, his nickname for Weiss did annoy her to a great extent. On the sidelines, Adelheid giggled lightly to herself. _'Yep, they're…my family.'_

Eventually, after more cries for help, Jaune eventually returned to give the girl a hand. Though, upon glancing at Neo the little witch stared curiously at the woman. Emerald was hiding behind the pink-haired woman, obviously surprising Jaune for a number of reasons. She was told by Ozpin to just keep her occupied, but for a child to scare her this much. Meanwhile, Blake and Neo continued to have a staring contest until the little one finally smiled and held out her hands. "Mama!" She shouted happily. The immediate reaction from the Pink-haired woman was an intense blush. It was a surprising announcement, but the headmaster showed little to no reaction to the little one's words, mainly due to the documents in his hand.

"Mama! Mama!" The little witch persisted, giggling as she was expecting the woman to pick her up. Neo felt her heart being tugged on; this child, in a way, could be a mirrored image of her and Jaune. Instinctively, she hugged the little one tightly.

Emerald shifted and was now behind Jaune, she refused to go near the sadistic child after what she went through just now. For the kid to call Neo her mother could be perfectly valid seeing as how the two have a similar sense of the word 'fun'. Though, while the little child kept the pink-haired woman occupied, Ozpin shared what his tests gave for results. It may not have been much of a shock, considering certain circumstances, but now there was no longer cause for doubt; Blake Beildschmidt is Jaune and Neo's biological daughter. Both teens took in the news almost as well as Ozpin predicted. They were confused, worried, and embarrassed beyond explanation. Even Emerald remained speechless after the secret was revealed. Jaune paced back and forth, trying to make sense of what was occurring in his life. Though, the biggest shocker was the fact that Blake was his, and Neo's. That idea continued to swim in his mind while Neo was taking in the news with her daughter in her arms. She glanced to the small child who stared at her with a gleeful smile, in an instance; she remembered what she did to Blake the night before, all the anger and hatred that was probably the cause of this situation.

"Since I had both yours and your companions to directly compare the blood samples, the tests came back faster than I expected. Her STR profiles make up half of your genetic information; Ms. Blake is your biological child. How it is that she exists; I'm still at a loss. But it might have to do with her team's sudden arrival in the forest. Perhaps there is one answer we can look at in terms of this child's origins that might not be so farfetched after all." Ozpin's theory did hint on fantasy, and borderline impossible. But then, it might be the closest to an answer they had on the current situation.

"So, you're saying, BANE might not be from our timeline, but rather, from a distant time?" Emerald asked skeptically.

"It's a possibility we can't ignore, considering the power she now has embedded into her palm. Which I believe is the cause of her sudden reverse of age." Ozpin walked over to a nearby terminal, still intact, and began reviewing the data he recorded earlier. Jaune walked over to his headmaster and patiently awaited an explanation. "I believe she has sealed off both the gem and herself in a last attempt to keep it from gaining control. How that is possible, again, the logic eludes me. Though, I can confirm that she holds no memory except that of her father, mother, and brother."

It didn't take long for the gears to click for those present to realize that Noa was also part of the family tree. Quite the family these two had, Emerald began wondering; if these kids really were from the future, than what happened to the Coalition? Did they win, lose? Just because Jaune was on the side of the alliance and his kids were here didn't mean they won.

For Jaune, however, Patchy's words to him in the library left him with a mind clouded in guilt and fear. Did he really kill his friends to get the crystal? Was Patchy here to fix the mistakes he made, or was she merely here to guide him towards an alternative solution?

Neo's head hung low after realizing she nearly killed her own child. Granted, she didn't know they were related, but now, after realizing her actions, she could feel warm liquid fall down her cheeks as the child in her arms continued to stare at her with a worried expression.

"Mama?" Blake's small hands gently caressed her mother's cheeks. In all honesty, Neo never thought of being a mother beforehand. Her whole life was traveling to different locations, finding a job and trying not to get killed by a hunter. But here, in her arms, was something a future version of herself had with Jaune. Not just this one, but also a big oaf of a son walking about right now in the school above them. Jaune kneeled beside Neo, wiping off some of her tears while watching the little one imitate her father in an attempt to help her mother.

In a way, they seemed to be taking the news rather well, though; Emerald had conflicting thoughts running through her mind at the moment. _'Should I tell Cinder?'_

**And here it is another chapter. A little warning, as I feel is appropriate, the next chapter might be a little dark, depending. I will warn at the top of the page beforehand. Also, I'm not good at side stories, or fillers, to be exact; little events that occur in the story that leans from the main plot in an attempt to lighten the story. I don't usually do those, but I will for the next chapter. Thank you all for your support, and for reading the story. Until next time.**


	12. Family of Four

From their perspective, it was almost as if Ozpin enjoyed being lectured by Goodwitch. After the woman discovered the destroyed testing room, she didn't even try to hide her anger as she effortlessly fixed the room and chewed out the careless headmaster. While the reason behind the destroyed room was kept between the current four hunters, and the...child, Ozpin made sure to keep Glynda informed enough that she didn't feel the need to poke around where she shouldn't. Though, at the moment, the three teens were occupied with the small child. Neo played around with the little blonde, childish games like hide-n-seek and tag was ones that kept the atmosphere lively. Emerald stuck with Jaune as the two reviewed the data Ozpin gathered on Blake. Often, the green-haired woman would glance to the child giggling and running from her mother, such innocence and peace wasn't what she was greeted to in their game. During their game the child flung a fireball at her, obviously unintentional. Though, when she saw how scared Emerald was, she continued to use her little trick in their game of tag. Almost as if she enjoyed seeing the older woman scared.

Once Jaune copied the data unto his scroll, he gave Ozpin the original data and walked over to Blake. The small one stopped in front of her father and held her hands out; a faint smile was on Jaune's lips as he carried his daughter. Glynda was still unaware of the child's connection to the blonde knight, only that they were family, and that was all. Before Goodwitch could personally interrogate Jaune, her scroll rang, cringing at the message subject, she left without another word uttered. Ozpin watched with a sly grin as he knew the reason behind her current annoyance. When glancing to Jaune, he could see the blonde's expression was of worry and guilt. He didn't allow his child to see, though, so he laid her head on his shoulder and lulled her to sleep. It took a few minutes; Jaune seemed relatively at ease knowing that he had a child of his own flesh and blood in hand, from the future no less. As crazy as it was, he seemed to accept Blake pretty quickly, despite the fact she beat the living hell out of him the day prior. On the other hand, she had to have had a good teacher, whether he was her trainer or not was still up for debate. Currently, on his mind, was the haunting image of his new family, and what Cinder would do if she found out who Blake was. The Onyx gem in the woman's possession was just as dangerous as the one contained within this small one. Knowing he would be under constant surveillance by Cinder's goons if she had the slightest hint of the existence of another gem, and not fully trusting Ozpin, Jaune took matters into his own hands.

"Professor." The blonde's passed Blake over to Neo as he gestured her to wait with Emerald outside. Catching both his attention and suspicion, Ozpin kept a close eye on the blonde's next actions. "There's something I need to speak to you about." In a way, Jaune was sealing his fate here and now, establishing his loyalty and his path. He knew well, after his conversation ended, the next time these two would meet; they will be standing behind different banners.

An hour passed before Jaune exited the recovery room and joined the two women outside. He took out a bandage wrap he borrowed from within the recovery room and thoroughly covered Blake's corrupted forearm. Once he was done, not a trace of the gem's influence could be seen.

"So, what happened?" Emerald asked quietly as to not wake the small one in Neo's arms.

"As of now; I walk my own path." The blonde responded. Confused by his little deceleration, the minty-haired woman was about to ask when Jaune held his finger to his mouth. Gesturing them to keep quiet and follow him. They all walked to the school's docks, thankfully, unnoticed seeing as how there was a convenient trio causing havoc within the school and gaining everyone's attention. The group of three boarded the first airship and traveled to Vale, all the while, Neo smiled widely as she held her sleeping child. As soon as she was passed Blake, the child's hands clung to her mother's jacket and refused to let go. Emerald sat quietly next to Jaune without saying a word since they left the school. She couldn't have been more thankful they left unnoticed, but his response earlier kept her mind uneasy. Knowing the blonde; he'd give answers after they were in a safe location, though, what he might've said to the headmaster was of greater concern. If he gave away information on the Coalition it'd make their next missions all the more difficult and costly. Then again, Jaune wouldn't put the life of his soldiers at risk. Of course, there was the possibility he was planning a coup against Cinder, given he never really tried to hide the fact that he hated her. All of these ideas kept clouding her thoughts to the point that she failed to notice a hand waving in front of her face until they snapped their fingers.

"You ok?" Jaune asked.

"Umm, yea. So, where are we going?"

"Somewhere." He replied, ominously.

Emerald wondered where the boy was taking them when the ship docked. The city was a big place, many good hiding spots, and plenty of shady figures willing to forge kingdom documents. On the other hand, hiding in a city that was soon to be a war zone could be classified as a little stupid, if you didn't have an immediate escape plan. Was he acting on a self-given mission, or was he ordered by Cinder to stay in the city to scout a target? It was then that she realized the latter wouldn't be possible given Jaune didn't exactly follow up on assassination missions from Cinder or anything related. Not to mention the fact that he rarely listened to Cinder or the orders she gave. It annoyed Emerald, but she could understand why he detested their boss. Hell, at times, even she couldn't stand the way her boss acted, but there wasn't a moment in her life she ever acted the way Jaune did. Luckily for him, he was valuable to the Coalition; otherwise, he wouldn't be breathing right now. She persisted in her questioning, but Emerald received no answer as they casually made their way to the city's lower-urban district. In this section, houses were two stories, kept separated by stone or wooden walls. Streets relatively clean and extremely quiet, folks seemed to keep to themselves here. The occasional passing car, bystanders were limited, odd for this time of day when the main city streets were packed. They reached a house with a stone wall covered in vines, a plaque beside the gate read; Domrémy. Only Neo knew the significance, the three entered the residence; Emerald did a double check outside to assure they weren't followed. As soon as they entered the house, the blonde boy removed his shoes at the doorway, gesturing them to do the same. He took Blake from Neo's hands and carried the little one upstairs. Taking a look around, Neo and Emerald noticed that what looked like the living room was nearly empty, with but a single couch for decoration. The kitchen had the basic appliances you'd expect, though, the interior color of the house was a gloomy grey. The windows were covered well by crimson drapes, though there wasn't a need to hide anything considering the high outdoor walls. The women followed Jaune after taking a quick look downstairs, the upstairs had four rooms, three empty, and a bathroom. The women were still confused and worried as to whose house they were currently in. Jaune made his way into what looked like the house's master bedroom. A queen-sized bed, a t.v., a nightstand with a small lamp, and an empty bookshelf were all that occupied this room. Slowly, the blonde lowered his child on to the bed, but as he did, she began to awake. Her hands clung tightly to her father's sweater as he attempted to set her down. Upon trying to remove her hold, her murmurs became excessive as she continuously tried to cling to her father. When her hands couldn't grasp any fabric of clothing, lacking parental warmth, she awoke and was noticeably on the verge of tears as she held her hands up, wanting her parent to hold her. Reacting quickly, Neo towered over her child and began playing around with the small one, making ridiculous expressions and tickling her sides. Rather than cries, the room was now filled with the sounds of laughter, allowing Jaune and Emerald to feel at ease. While Neo kept the little one occupied, the blonde and minty-haired teen stepped outside for a bit. Upon closing the door, Emerald wasted no time asking questions, specifically about the house they were in.

"Care to explain why we're here? What is this place? And what did you tell the headmaster?"

Smiling slyly, Jaune answered her questions in order. "We're going to hide Blake here; I bought this place a few weeks ago, and for now, we don't have to worry about hunters and huntresses coming down on the Coalition. They'll be chasing ghosts."

"You bought this place?" Emerald asked skeptically, unsure whether this house was a good deal or a rip-off. Yea this place was peaceful, but for someone in their line of work, a house in the upper district wasn't exactly a problem. Though, this place could be counted for less risk.

"Yea, saved up a good amount of lien for it."

"With honest earnings?" She asked with a hint of sarcasm, knowing full well he wouldn't answer. Then again, she already knew the answer.

"It's not exactly 'proper', but I'm going to fix it up. Get some new stuff for the rooms, starting with Blake's room. First; we'll need some food for the week." Jaune was beginning to head out when Emerald caught his shoulder.

"The Vytal festival is in a month, are we really going to hide out in here for that long?" She asked in a hushed tone.

Glancing to the master room, Jaune saw Blake sitting on Neo's lap, both were watching some child's program. For a woman who knew nothing on kids and had a sadistic personality; Neo sure had an interesting maternal instinct.

"Neo, we're going out for food, we'll be back soon." The pink-haired woman nodded and rested her head atop her daughter's while the two watched whatever was on. The little one was captivated by the show she was watching, and Neo seemed more content to see a smile on the small blonde's face than anything. Jaune and Emerald left to the nearest store to acquire some food for the four of them.

Their walk to and from the store wasn't quiet, but more along the lines of Jaune hinting at the idea that he would betray Cinder. Though, he was always like this, so Emerald kept the hope that he wouldn't go back on the Coalition, especially after they've made it this far. It was still quite the surprise that Jaune owned a home in Vale, even more convenient was a nearby market they could go to for food and various other supplies. At the moment, they stuck with food, and some blankets, which were mainly carried by Emerald. Jaune carried the groceries in both hands, while Emerald carried two containers with blankets and pillows.

"Quick question, why involve me?" The minty-haired girl's question stopped the blonde in place, glancing to her with a stern look, he answered.

"Do you wanna go back to Cinder and tell her; not only did you fail to update her on an unknown team and kept information of another 'special' item from her, but you also allowed said item to fall into my hands?" Jaune's question brought up a messy, unsavory scenario for the woman. In her mind were images of Cinder chewing her out and burning her...again. As the thought of punishment filled her mind, she felt a cold breeze blow on her exposed neck. She yelped in embarrassment, jumping back and holding up her weapon at the blonde. To which Jaune merely smiled and held his hands up in submission.

"We don't have to keep it from her forever, just give me enough time to figure out how to remove the gem from Blake and how to control it; otherwise, Cinder will be corrupted in an instant. I know she's done much for you, and believe me I wouldn't stoop so low as to blackmail you into following me and betraying her. Preferably, I'd rather leave that choice to you." Jaune continued walking, leaving Emerald to somewhat understand why he was favored above Cinder in the Coalition; when Cinder demanded absolute loyalty and obedience, all Jaune asked for was trust and allowed people the choice of whether to stick around or leave. In a way, she could also see why Neo was smitten with him.

Once they returned to the house, the blonde went straight to work preparing lunch. Realizing they were home, Neo came down and gestured Emerald to go up and watch Blake.

"Are you serious?! No way?!" She protested, her burn wounds from earlier still stung and refused to be alone again with the one responsible.

Neo's smile turned blank, she reached into her jacket and retrieved a small notebook and pencil. She wrote in it and passed it to Emerald. Receiving it, the girl read to herself;

_Get your ass upstairs, and keep my little angel happy. NOW._

Feeling the need to continue her protest, Emerald was going to refuse again, that is, until she could see an intense aura emitting from Neo. The need to reject was drained in an instant as Emerald nodded quickly and went upstairs to watch the little spawn. Jaune wondered what his partner had written on the note that sent the normally hardened woman up, though, he preferred not to ask. As Neo joined him in preparing lunch, the blonde could vaguely see a proud smirk across her lips.

"You're...really enjoying this aren't you?" Jaune asked, receiving a sly grin from Neo. The woman gave him a simple wink and paid little to no attention to any question that followed thereafter.

Upstairs, Emerald sat across the spawn of Jaune and Neo; a frightening combination, more so when she gets older. Though, considering she witnessed the power an older Blake had, it was safe to assume a child like this would undoubtedly be a mix of her parents in every aspect. Her mix-matched blue and red eyes were an obvious inheritance from her mother, especially when she blinked. For a few seconds, she could actually switch the colors. Her blonde hair reached just past her shoulders, but you could still see a hint of Jaune in her. How? It was the way in which she stared curiously at Emerald, and how little the woman's glare intimidated her. Like her father, she was only intimidated around unknowns, but as of late; Emerald wasn't exactly unknown. At the moment, however, her smile was what currently ticked at Emerald. She smiled at her, completely forgetting the hell she put the woman through. Emerald gestured to her burns and slightly frowned.

"See these? Don't think I've forgotten, burns and scars may heal, but the pain never really goes away." The little one saw both the anger in Emerald's eyes, and the slight pain she felt when her fingers accidentally brushed against one of the burns. Her right palm reached out and gently touched one of the burn marks. Upon contact Emerald hissed, causing the small one to instantly retract her hand. The little one stared with her mixed eyes a few seconds before her expression saddened.

"Aunty."

Emerald's glare softened. "Aunty? Who told you that?" She asked, not entirely in a tone of annoyance.

"Mama." Blake answered softly.

Emerald was somewhat surprised Neo actually spoke, considering she refused to in any situation regardless of circumstance. It spoke volumes as to how much Neo was invested in Blake, perhaps out of guilt for the night prior. Or, perhaps, she did actually want to be a mother and this child was her ticket to furthering her relationship with Jaune. More importantly, though, she talked! Then again, why would Emerald be counted as an aunt when she and Neo barely had much interactions? With Jaune, maybe they could be counted as friends, but not close friends.

"Aunty." Emerald glanced back to the child whom was on the brink of tears, leaving Emerald in a state of guilt and fear. "M' sorry." The little one was quickly starting to tear up, saddened by the pain she inflicted on her own aunt. Emerald was left with the choices; either cheer her up, or welcome whatever fate her mother had planned for making the little one cry. Blake used her little hands to cover her streaming tears, Emerald instinctively held her. Confused as to why it was the first thing she did, she chose to ignore it when it seemed to calm the little one.

"I-it's fine, really. They hurt, but not as bad as before. So don't worry about it." She reassured, pressing the little one against her chest while softly petting the top of her head. "Please don't cry...aunty wants you to be happy. Okay?" Emerald could feel the little one's head lay against chest.

"M'kay." Blake responded.

Sighing in relief, Emerald continued petting Blake, somewhat comfortable with this situation. Some aunt, she made the poor kid cry. Being strict wasn't her intention when she was supposed to be watching her, though, it wasn't like she opposed the idea, this kid was different...somewhat. At least Blake recognized when she did something wrong, hell, she apologized for it. Perhaps, given time, Blake could be more like her father than her mother, if with any luck. Though, as she glanced to the doorway, Emerald was met with the haunting blank stare of Blake's mother. The sight sent chills down the woman's spine as Neo held a note with one simple word; _later_. After assuring she got the message, Neo returned downstairs. Now, the minty-haired woman was on the verge of tears as she could only imagine what form of punishment a mother as sadistic as Neo would dish out on her.

After a small moment of embrace, Blake detached herself from her aunt after her eyes caught sight of something interesting. She walked over to the nightstand and reached for a small book. Almost instantly after she recognized what she held in her hands, she ran to Emerald, diving into her aunt with enough force to send the woman tumbling backwards. The woman grunted at the pain, "What do you think you're..." and when she glanced to the child, her mix-matched eyes were beaming with joy as she held out the book to Emerald.

The minty-haired woman took the book and read the title. "Birth of the Seven Sins." She glanced to the child whom was waiting for her aunt to read to her. "Do you even know what this book is about?" She asked, to which Blake shook her head. "But it's a book, and you want me to read it to you?" She asked again, only this time, the little one nodded happily. With a small sigh, she gave in, though, having read this book before, she skipped to perhaps the tamest and shortest story in this grim fable. Emerald was about to flip the first page when she felt the little one reposition herself on her aunt's lap. From how she sat, Emerald could exactly see the book, so she leaned over and rested her head atop Blake's head. It felt comfortable, and it stirred further emotions she once thought to have killed off. Knowing this child's parents, Emerald hoped she wouldn't get any ideas from this book. Readied herself, and began.

_'Pride the arrogant; _

_There once was an ancient city on the southern coast of Vale; Salem. It was a vibrant civilization filled with a great variety of artisans and scholars. Truly, a testament to human achievement of lasting unity and strength. Though, known to all in Salem, there was a woman who, above all else, was greatly respected and admired for her near perfect skills. As a warrior, she bested even the most hardened veteran. As a Mage, her limits stretched to the edge of taboo. As a scholar, there were none who could outwit her, or so she believed. The praise and accolades soon gave the woman the impression that she was divinity in mortal form. For soon, those of Salem began to believe this woman to be a direct descendant of Oum. The churches, in their fear, declared her followers heretics, and branded the woman a demon. In retaliation, she burned the priests of Salem to cinder, and no soul dared oppose her. Warriors who came to challenge her were cut down and fed to her pets. Mages whose power failed to overpower her were drained of their power, and cursed to live as pets of the human-deity. Scholars were perhaps the only ones who would not challenge the prideful woman. As time went on, any who dared to oppose this demigod was taken before her, given a trial, and burned.' _

Emerald glanced to the small one; her eyes were glued to the book. When her aunt stopped, she glanced up. Her eyes said more than any word that could be uttered. Sighing, Emerald continued.

_'One day, an old monk stood before the woman with a wooden box. With a small crowd gathered, the old monk decided to test the woman; that if she truly was divinity, then as an all-knowing being, she would know what it was he held within the box. The woman, taking into account the fragile body of this old monk, and the sweet, yet weak, fragrance emitting from the box, replied proudly. "A single, white Luna flower." All showed awe at the woman's confident reply, all, but the old monk. For when he removed the top of the box, for all who could see; nothing lay within. Baffled, and confused, all the woman could do was utter incoherently to herself. Her arrogance in belief of self-divinity could not comprehend how it was that her prediction was false. Without warning, she retreated within her built temple. The old monk smiled, and as he walked away, a single white Luna flower fell from his sleeve. "To 'err' is human." Said the old man before leaving to his home, passing away that very night in his sleep. By the time the woman was told of the monk's trickery, to be fooled in such a manner left the woman with unbridled rage. But, such a simple slight-of-hand was enough to eat away at both her mental state, and her reputation amongst those in her city. No longer was she feared, admired, nor deified. Most had begun to assume her power was not her own, but rather, a mere illusion. She was doubted, ridiculed, and made a pariah. Angered to a great extent, the woman took what little followers she had left, and shed their blood for a taboo practice. An art that should've been left to the hands of true gods; Homunculi. The dark influence used for her creations soon twisted her beauty to that of creature from gathered nightmares. Her sense of morality twisted as her arrogance kept her in the belief that she was above humans, and to prove her divinity, she would do what was strictly reserved for gods; creation of life. Her creations, however, were nothing short of monstrosities, dark, animal-like beings, twisted in appearance and with great hunger. Eager to rescind the old monk's lasting trickery, the woman unleashed her beings unto the city. As she creatures were now free, they viciously devoured any and all that came into view. The beings ripped apart the populace. From dusk till dawn all attempts to escape were futile. The hunt began and the monsters took their time with their captured prey. From the manner in which they acted; these creatures relished in the cries of misery. The walls and streets were stained with blood, the stench of death and burning buildings filled the air. When the city was without living humans or faunus, the creatures then ventured further into the world. The woman, however, stood before her ruined home, the destruction of her city and her people was all that was left from prideful beliefs. From behind her, though, was the old monk with a cane in hand. With a grim expression, he cursed the prideful human to eternally walk Remnant with her abominations; unable to die or forget her sin. Today, she walks Remnant, known only by the name of the home she destroyed.' _

"Honestly, this is supposed to be literature? It's not even long enough to be believable, not to mention the countless clichés. I swear; Jaune has weird tastes." Emerald muttered annoyingly while closing the book, though, Blake instantly turned her head to her aunt, wanting to hear more. The minty-haired woman shook her head. "You're lucky I read that part only, this book isn't for kids."

Blake grabbed the book, threw it as far as her hands could, and lowered her head in what seemed like a pouting manner. Her little actions, however, received a small scowl and eerie smile from her aunt as her left cheek was being pulled. "Don't you give me that sass young lady."

"M' showwy, m' showwy." Blake apologized before her aunt's hand pulled any further.

As the little blonde recovered from her stretched cheek, Emerald hugged her from behind while laying her head again atop the little ones. For some reason, Emerald didn't feel as much hostility towards the little witch as she did prior, but she was still cautious regardless. To see that she was more invested in books than media was somewhat comforting considering the things that are shown nowadays. Blake, though, was now a child both at heart and in mentality. For her to act like this shouldn't exactly be a surprise.

"Look, I don't think your dad has any other kinds books here, so, later today, we'll go get you some books, okay?" She had hoped the child would smile, seeing as that was the reason she was upstairs; to keep her happy. Luckily for her, it worked. Blake nodded happily, it showed when she returned her aunt's embrace and hooked into her arms. "Jeez, you really are like your mom, Blake." Emerald commented. Though, now she had the confused eyes of the young child on her. Was she confused by her comment?...or, was she confused about her name? Did she even remember her own name? Come to think of it, Jaune and Ozpin didn't call her by her name directly since they left that medical room. "You...you know that's your name, right? It's what people will call you. Like your mom and dad; they're Neo and Jaune. Your name is Blake. You didn't know that?" Blake shook her head slowly, obviously astounded to hear her name for the first time. In a mere instance, the little witch stood up and was a few inches from Emerald's face. Her widened smile indicated she was pleased with the name given to her. At this moment, she believed her name to have been given to her by her aunt. Emerald didn't exactly feel comfortable with their faces so close together. She placed her palm on the child's face and pushed her away, though Blake did struggle to get closer to her aunt, giggling all the while. "No question about it, you really are like your mom."

Jaune and Neo entered with sandwiches, having no table, they placed they plates on the floor. Wanting to have her daughter again, Neo held her hands for her little one to join her, only for Blake to shake her head while smiling. "Aunty." Her gestured indicated she wanted to stay with her aunt. Neo felt a sting of betrayal and anger as she glanced to Emerald with empty eyes.

"Aunty?" Jaune teased.

"S-s-she told her that!" Emerald gestured to Neo, said woman was pouting at the fact that her little angel would rather stay with her aunt than go with her mom. In her fit, Neo sat on Jaune's lap. Her childish actions made the little one laugh, a smile once again spread across Neo's lips as she gave Emerald a sly grin of what she had that the minty-haired woman didn't. Though, it was made less subtle when she began grinding her hips on him, causing Emerald to instinctively cover Blake's eyes. "Please don't." She pleaded for the small one's sake, and her own mentality.

After the four had finished lunch, Jaune decided to take Blake out for clothes shopping; the little one only had her white clothing from Ozpin's medical wing. Neo switched into a disguise; a small black haired, twin-tailed, green-eyed woman. Yes, her size was still the same, giving the small group the impression she was a younger sibling of either the blonde or minty-haired woman. As for Jaune, well, given his faint scars and rugged expressions, many assumed he was well into his twenties, meaning he could've been the child's father or uncle. As for Emerald, she had nothing more than the clothes she usually had on and her Haven uniform for clothing. She looked like any normal teen. The walk in the city was short as they found multiple clothing stores, quite often, six in a single street with various price ranges and competitive deals. The small group went into the first store they saw, and luckily, or conveniently, it had children's clothes. Neo and, reluctantly, Emerald went in to pick out new attires for Blake. Leaving the blonde the choices to either wait outside or in the store. Choosing the latter, Jaune kept to himself as he watched countless people walk in and out while waiting. This store wasn't too big, but it did have quite the selection. While watching people come in and out of the store, a small hand tugged on Jaune's shirt. The older blonde glanced down to see his daughter in a white-frilled dress, with a blue sash, for whatever reason, tied around her waist, black dress shoes, and a blue ribbon on the left side of her hair. Once she got his attention, she gestured to changing rooms where Neo was gesturing him to go over to. Reluctantly, Jaune obliged, but kept his ground as he wasn't going to be tricked and pushed into the changing room. Though, what he was treated to was Emerald exiting with an annoyed expression and a mild blush.

"Neo, explain to me again why I have to try on thi-" her words cut short as she came out and was greeted by a blonde knight gazing down at her. She wore revealing black-frilled lingerie. The level of lewdness was hitting the extreme as this attire left absolutely nothing to the imagination. Her nipples were peeking over the see through section of the bra, hell, why even cover the lower half of her breast. The garter belt added to the short, frilly panties, why Neo had Emerald wear this was beyond Jaune, though he couldn't deny that the minty-haired girl wore it well.

After a moment of shock, Emerald ducked back into the changing room. Though, with a mischievous grin, Neo held in her hands, Emerald's clothing. So, this was her punishment, a bit overboard, but the small woman could care less. Jaune gave Neo a small scowl before taking back Emerald's cloths and passing them through the curtain. A small thank you whispered through as the attire was taken and Jaune brushed off the blush he had. For the minty-haired girl, Jaune was the first man to see her in such embarrassing attire; the entire situation was humiliating and degrading. Neo smiled proudly and proceeded to further search for cloths for Blake. Feeling sympathy for the poor girl, Jaune leaned over to the curtains and whispered.

"I'm sorry about that, if you want, look around and pick out some clothes you like. It's on me. Again, I'm sorry."

Emerald poked her head ever-so-slightly from the curtains, her eyes refused to meet the blonde's. "Just...don't tell anyone about this."

"About what?"

"About thi-" Emerald just then caught wind of the boy's words. He gave a sly smile before walking over to Neo to scold the woman over her actions. Meanwhile, a pair of crimson eyes were glued to the blonde. For the likes of her, Emerald couldn't understand what it was that Jaune saw in Neo. Or, if he even sees her in that way, but the way he's so protective of her shows he cares. A sadistic woman with little to no respect for personal boundaries, and a man holding on to what little morality he has while doing his best to act as a role model for his daughter.

'He's too good for her.' Emerald murmured quietly to herself before redressing in her normal attire and searching for something she could wear casually. After the three adults grouped at the exit, Neo gestured to a sweets shop nearby. Reluctantly, Emerald and Jaune went along acting as chaperones for these two. As expected, Neo spoiled her daughter to no extent as she bought the little one a triple scooped cone. Strawberry, Vanilla, and Chocolate Chip Mint were the flavors Blake chose. Neo also had three scoops, though; her flavors were Vanilla, Strawberry, and Chocolate. The four continued their outing, Jaune and Emerald preferred single scoops, as to finish first and keep a keen eye on these two in case the sugar rush hit early. Blake was happily eating hers while, from the looks of it, her mother devoured hers in a few minutes. The twin-tailed woman finished before the two other adults, letting out a satisfied sigh. Continuing their outing further into the city, the crowds were beginning to become dense, and the noise made it hard for communication. In an attempt to keep from getting lost, Neo reached for her daughter's hand, but found herself grasping air. Glancing towards were her little one was supposed to be, she found nothing. She searched frantically all around her, but no sign of Blake could be found. When she turned her attention to Jaune and Emerald, her hopes crashed as she saw the two were in the same state as she was; searching for the small blonde. In a mere second, without so much as sign; their daughter had disappeared. While she wanted to cry out her name and receive a response, her words would not come out. Neo felt a crushing pain in her heart as she desperately searched around her with no sign of her little one; she collapsed to the ground and feared the worst had happened. Jaune turned to Emerald. "Search from the rooftops, contact me when you find her." The minty-haired woman nodded and ran towards an alley for a ladder leading to the roof. In the meantime, Jaune kneeled next to Neo. "She couldn't have gotten far, we'll find her." Jaune's attempt to ease her worries helped slightly, though, she still expressed extreme fear for her little one. She grew attached to Blake for many reasons, but the main one was because she was her own flesh and blood. To sum up whom Blake was; a once over-powered teen seeking to amend for family's sins, now reduced to an infant with barely any speech and little memories of her past. There was no way she could fend for herself in this city, especially in her state.

With Blake, Neo felt something she had yet to experience in a long time; she felt human. And this time, she was proud to feel this way, but now, she found herself in self turmoil as she failed to keep a close eye on her child. As she raised her head, she found a hand waiting for her. "Let's go find our little girl." Was she hearing him right? Did he say 'our little girl'? Neo smiled and took Jaune's hand. The two made haste as they began their search for the small one near the shops they passed.

Little did they know, it was in the opposite direction as to where the little one was headed. After much bumps and shoves, Blake had found a street with relatively little people, though when she glanced around, her parents and aunt were nowhere to be found. Lost, and alone, Blake wandered about, looking for any key features her parents had amongst the crowds of people. As she searched for them, she saw, peeking out from the corner, two black twin-tails. In her excitement, she rushed towards what she believed to be her mother. As she neared, she closed her eyes and prepared a massive jump to surprise her, and a surprise it would be.

"Mama!" Blake shouted as she jumped headfirst into the unknown, though, upon crashing into the woman, Blake tumbled backwards, dropping her cone. The unknown turned to meet her and was with widened eyes as her amber orbs stared at this mixed-matched eyed child. The young witch was currently recovering from her little attack that by the time she gazed up, she found herself surrounded by four young teens. In a mere instance, she felt an unusually cold chill run up her spine as she gazed at amber, lilac, light blue, and silver eyes.

Meanwhile, Emerald leapt from rooftop to rooftop searching for the young child, all the while keeping a low profile. She assumed Blake wouldn't have gone far, and considering the fact that she helped Neo buy the young one her new cloths, it'd be easy to spot her. Though, what she didn't take into account was who might find her first in this Valen city. And luckily for her, she spotted a small blonde in a white dress. What she found to great annoyance and worry were the company she was with. Especially if they decided to take her back to Beacon.

The small witch was being carried in the arms of Yang Xiao Long after showing a small amount of fear towards Weiss and the cat-woman of their group. Said Faunus was annoyed with her partner for forcing her into a maid outfit, and with twin-tails to complete the set earlier. Presently, however, she was worried over the child in Yang's arms. For some strange reason, she showed an unusual fear towards her and Weiss. For the heiress, it was to be expected given her usual glare, but why the Faunus? Weiss remained silent; her pride was somewhat hurt when she tried to comfort the saddened child. Ruby, on the other hand, kept trying to either carry the little one or make faces to lighten her mood. It worked on several occasions, though the little one was still wary of these people. For some reason they were really nice to her, but at the moment she wanted to be with her parents and aunt. Though, when she wanted to speak, her words wouldn't project themselves, leaving her to stay in the arms of this blonde brawler. Said huntress in training seemed prideful at the fact that a cute kid felt safer in her hands than the stuck-up heiress. Unable to get the little one to speak, an idea popped into the head of the team leader. Ruby snapped her fingers, catching everyone's attention. She reached into her bag and retrieved a cookie, waving it in front of the child as to gain her attention. It worked, the small hands of the little blonde reached for the pastry, only to have the heiress snatch it away.

"What are you doing you dolt?"

"Weiss?" Ruby wondered why her teammate suddenly stole the pastry.

"You can't just give her a cookie, she might be allergic." Weiss informed.

"To what?" Yang asked, curiously.

"To an ingredient in the cookie. We need to make sure that if we feed her, she isn't allergic to anything." Weiss stated.

"I think you're just jealous she prefers my big sis than with you." Ruby's words struck a nerve as Weiss gave a deathly glare at her partner. The heiress then glanced to the small blonde. "Sweetie, is there anything your parents don't let you eat?"

The little one shook her head, still somewhat afraid of the heiress, much to her dismay.

"I want...mama...n papa, n aunty." The huntress team felt their heart strings tugged.

Feeling s mall blush on her cheeks, Emerald retrieved her scroll and texted her location to Jaune, while also giving him insight in the current situation. If they were going to pry the little one from RWBY's hands, it would have to be quick and without them recognizing the three rogues. Keeping an eye down below, Emerald made sure to not allow the little one to leave her sight again. Though, from the looks of things, neither did this team of Huntresses. Xiao long kept the small witch in her arms most of the time, showing a great deal of interest in this mix-match eyed child. There was an assumption that she was related to BANE's witch or Jaune, but without those two blondes present to confirm anything, only Yang was left suspicious of this child.

Meanwhile, at a certain enclosed location, preparing for nighttime, Junior had his men double check everything to make sure they were ready for any 'special visitors'. His club had seen much in the last year, twice damaged by a certain blonde brawler. Now, a new blonde walked through his club's doors, and truth be told, he actually enjoyed this one's company. The two had met before the blonde knight was recruited into Cinder's faction, having worked together for a while in less shady business. Not entirely clean, but lighter when comparing them to the missions he took while in the early stages of the Coalition. Jaune was well aware of the shady business practice Junior was a part of, but at the moment, it mattered little to him. The two got reacquainted for a moment before the blonde explained his predicament. Though, seeing as how Junior never saw Neo in her disguise, Jaune decided to play it out. The story went; he had an old friend who worked in the same line of business he did. She lost her daughter in the city and needed help getting her back from the hands of team RWBY. Neo was confused and extremely worried when he specifically named the huntress team, more so since she wasn't exactly in a good light with the blonde brawler. Still, if she knew where her little one was, no doubt she'd bolt to her pry her from those huntresses, regardless if they recognized her or not. The child of an assassin and a traitor would no doubt be an invaluable bargaining chip if the kingdom knew what its huntresses had in their palms. With any luck, they haven't put the pieces together just yet.

"Anything my men can use to know what the kid looks like?" Junior asked while gesturing some of his men over.

"...!" Neo made hand gestures to describe her daughter, though, it only left the club owner even more confused than before.

Jaune reached for his scroll and sent a location to Junior's. "No need, it's less of a search, and more of a recovery. I have a contact who's found them already, but she needs backup in case things get…unsavory. Oh, and do me a favor, take this and give it to her." Jaune retrieved a box from his satchel and passed it to Junior. Upon expecting its contents, the man grinned. "Ah, it's that kind of favor, huh? No problem."

Meanwhile, with RWBY, It would seem that upon Blake's decision to stop by a book store, the little witch almost immediately opened up to the cat Faunus. Now, the majority of the time, the child was in the care of the Faunus. With Yang and Ruby, unless it was of fables, books didn't exactly catch their interest. As for Weiss, she tagged along with Belladonna to assure she didn't pick out any 'special' books that could taint the child. An hour passed, Weiss was smiling widely as the blonde child was on her lap, listening to the heiress read a popular book of fairy tales. For the moment, all seemed peaceful. That is, until another thought popped into Ruby's head. "You know, we haven't even asked her name yet." It dawned on them that they had a lost child without so much as asking her name, giving them the impression of being kidnappers rather than helpers. Weiss glanced to the small one. "Sweetie, what's your name?"

While she still felt somewhat unsure about these people, the child found it best to at the very least give them something to call her by. At that instance, she remembered the name her aunt gave her, with a proud smile she answered while pointing to herself. "Blake."

The sudden reveal left the huntresses speechless, it couldn't be a coincidence; two blondes with mix-matched red and blue eyes, blonde hair, and a subtle eerie aura to her? Though, they would not be able to explore more as they found themselves surrounded by men in black and red tuxedos, crimson shades, and holstered pistols. From behind them came a woman with long black hair, red eyes, dark skin, and a more than malice feel emitting from her. The small one took a moment to gaze at this woman before shouting out happily. "Aunty!"

Emerald showed a hint of shock as she didn't expect the little one to recognize her so easily. Though, it wasn't until one of Junior's men gestured to her wig that revealed a portion of her green hair. Giving off the look of black hair with green bangs, hopefully these brats wouldn't know the difference. Emerald walked up to where Weiss sat and held her hands out for the child. The little witch happily went with her aunt, much to the disappointment of the huntress. The group of huntresses couldn't argue or make so much as a move since they neither had their weapons nor did they want to endanger the little one. Though, before any further scenario occurred, Emerald spoke in the thickest Haven accent she could. "Who's da leada of dis group?" It masked her real voice, though it made her sound utterly ridiculous. So much so that Junior's men had to visibly hold in their need to laugh at this woman's attempts to act foreign were proving somewhat successful.

While withholding the urge to laugh, Ruby stood up. Prompting Emerald to retrieve an envelope from within her tux and hand it to the young huntress. The young girl received it, confused.

"A thank you from da boss for finding dis liddle one." As she turned to leave, the heiress stood up. "Wait!" Weiss managed to catch their attention, but only for a moment. While she didn't trust the men taking her, the little one identified the woman as a family member at least. Reluctantly, she handed over the book she was reading for the child. "Here, I bought this for her, she really likes it."

Emerald was skeptical, but allowed her niece to take the book. Unwilling to continue spending any more time with these huntresses, she readied herself to leave. Though, before she could turn to finally end this conversation, she felt the little one lean over to Weiss and give the heiress a peck on her forehead.

"Thank you." She held on to her gift tightly while smiling widely. Weiss stood paralyzed after what occurred, giving Emerald the opportunity to leave without another incident. Yang watched as the small group left unbeknownst to her team, she knew damn well who those goons worked for. Junior was either in some way related to the small child, or this was a personal favor for his contacts. Either way, she felt the need to pay him a little visit soon.

"Woah!" Ruby's sudden high pitch caught her team members by surprise as she had seen the contents within the envelope.

"What's wrong Ruby?" The brawler asked.

The young huntress turned slowly and showed her team the gift they were given for taking care of the child. "T-t-ten thousand lien!"

"You did what!?" Emerald asked, astonished that the items within the envelope were of such high value, had she known, she would've taken a few for herself. The group of four was now back at Jaune's house after he arranged a few deals with Junior to keep their little recovery between them only. Once Blake was back in Neo's arms, and even when they arrived home, she refused to let go of the little one.

"The money in the envelope and Junior's goons were just a front, something to give off the impression that Blake comes from a 'shady' family. Knowing them, they'll either chase the dead ends I left in place, or, and I'm hoping; they'll forget about this all together. But, knowing Yang, we might just have a rougher time than I expected." Jaune pondered how to deal with the brawler. She wasn't exactly the brightest cookie, but she sure as hell was the sturdiest. Emerald was still peeved she didn't ask what was in the envelope earlier. More so that she was the one who had to confront team RWBY to get Blake back. In all honesty, however, it went smoother than what she assumed would happen. Team RWBY didn't hesitate much, nor did they protest letting the young witch go with the shady Haven woman. Come to think of it, if it wasn't for Emerald's small wardrobe malfunction with her wig, then there might've been the chance that Blake wouldn't have recognized her. If that being the case, then obtaining the little one would've been harder then what occurred.

Night fell on Vale, Emerald lay quietly in one of the upstairs rooms in her newly purchased sleeping garments; she wore green pajama pants and a black, muscle shirt that didn't exactly cover much of her stomach. What was more catching was how small it was on her more upper assets. The muscle shirt had an image of a peach-colored bunny nibbling on a carrot on the front. A cute addition, but not exactly something she wanted to be seen in public with. Jaune had an extra mattress in the basement. He brought it upstairs and laid it out on the floor for the thief, leaving after assuring she was at the very least comfortable. On his way downstairs, he found Neo waiting by the stairs. She had only her panties, and a large white shirt to act as her sleeping garments. From the expression on her face, she wasn't about to let him avoid a talk. The two walked to the living room where the blonde knight had set up a spot on the couch for him to sleep on. While he could've set up upstairs, he never actually slept on the bed Neo and Blake were using. Given the manners in which he had to gain rest previously, a bed wasn't exactly comfortable anymore in his point of view, more so now that it was occupied. Neo, on the other hand, thought differently. But right now, there was a pressing issue at hand.

"...?"

"No, it'd be better if you two got some more alone time, build on your relationship. Besides, I need to watch the ground floor. Also, yes, I'm still angry with that little stunt you pulled earlier, maybe not as much as Emerald, but you did go overboard."

"..."

"I'm not lying about anything."

"...?...?...?"

"Don't bring this up right now, it's late."

"..."

"I'm not evading anything I just want to sleep."

"..." Neo's gestures suggested that she wouldn't leave him be unless he gave her an answer.

Tired, and now annoyed, Jaune answered her questions, vaguely.

"You're obviously not going to let me sleep unless I answer so; yes, I'm still trying to process all of this. Am I surprised that we had children later on in our lives, yes, who wouldn't? And no, it's not that I dislike you, but, this idea of you and me having a family...with an all-out war ready to occur, the things I'll have to do...the things I've done; I begin to think about what kind of person I really am. I really want to be a father, I never expected this to happen, but when I see Blake, after the things she told me before last night, I'm beginning to wonder if I have the right to be a father. With the blood on my hands maybe I don't deserve to be one. And… maybe I don't deserve to be anyone's lover..." There was an uncomfortable silence between them before the blonde further clarified. "There are things I've lied to you about, secrets about my missions that would make you look at me with disgust. You might tell me that you've done worse, but believe me when I say; I surpassed you long before Blake came into the picture. However you want to look at it, I'm a rebel in the eyes of the people, and a traitor when the government discovers my involvement. I'll be hunted every day of my life when that happens. If I was an assassin, like you, then maybe I would've consider settling down, an assassin can disappear with little to no trace. But not traitors like me. The kingdoms won't allow me to live with the secrets I've stolen from them. From now on, maybe it would be best if we just kept apart. If Cinder were to find out about Blake, no doubt she'd use her as leverage to keep me as a puppet. I can only shudder at the thought of what she'd do with you. I bought this house in the scenario I'd need a place to hide, but in this case, our daughter is the one who needs protection. It sounds cliché, but I need you to stay here and take care of Blake, I'll head to the front lines. Maybe there, I'll get what I deserve..." The boy's words cut deep, so much so that it angered Neo enough to slap him. The clapping sound echoed within the partially empty house. Once the initial shock passed, the blonde glanced to a nearly crying partner. At the moment, she refused any eye contact, ashamed by his words, Jaune kept his eyes away as well.

"...lo...me?" The blonde's eyes shot to the stairs, believing it was the voice of Blake he heard, though, after realizing his daughter wasn't eavesdropping, his eyes reverted to the pink-haired woman, now making direct eye contact. Before getting the chance to ask, Neo spoke, "Do you love me?" Jaune wasn't so sure what astounded him more, the fact that she could speak, or that hearing her voice made his heart beat faster. It was sweet and mellow. Though, soft as well, much so that he needed to bend to her level to hear her properly.

Tired of lies and secrecy, and if only for this one time, the blonde answered what he had been asking himself the entire day. "...yes." The blonde responded.

"I want...to hear you...say it." Neo demanded, leaving Jaune with only one option; to be honest.

"I…love you." Jaune's confession caused a deep Crimson blush to appear on Neo's cheeks.

"Then stay...with us. We need you...I need you." It was clear that speaking wasn't her strong suit, but damn did she try her hardest. Moreover, it was the fact that she actually got a confession from the blonde that had her locked in an awkward state. She had hoped for him to say the whole thing, but even so, the actual words still caught her off guard. Her smile was wide and mixed with embarrassment, Jaune's was too, but the boy managed to hide most of it. Unwilling to let him have this win, Neo grabbed hold of his shirt and French-kissed him, forcefully. As the two slowly descended unto the floor; her hands began to explore every bit of his body. Caught in the moment, Jaune acted on impulse, and reached within Neo's panties. The woman broke from their kiss and quickly covered her mouth as to prevent any moans from escaping. The blonde knight, however, didn't deter, as his hands continued their initial intent, further deepening Neo's blush and using both her hands to keep from moaning loud. Though, the motion of his fingers, adding his free hand rubbing her nipples made keeping quiet all the more difficult. Reaching for the covers on the couch, as they fell, it conveniently covered their actions, leaving nothing for the eyes to see. But the heavy breaths, faint moans, and movement of the sheets gave the imagination much to work on.

Emerald lay comfortably in her bed, today had been a long day. Interesting to say the least, and somewhat fun taking into account she learned much about the little one and her parents than she expected. As of now, though, she remained conflicted on whether to report this to Cinder, or actually keep this from her. Still, it wasn't like she needed to make a decision immediately. For now, she'd leave the subject to another day. As her eyes closed and began peacefully drifting off Emerald suddenly heard soft breathes by her bedside. The young thief's eyes shot open, reaching for her blades beneath her pillow, stopping only when she realized what was staring at her: a very, either, drowsy or worried child. Perhaps both, given the fact her father's muffled words could be heard not too long ago. She should actually be asleep by now after the little adventure she had earlier today. Be that as it may, Emerald sat up slightly.

"What's wrong, Blake? Can't sleep?" She whispered.

Blake nodded. Seeing the little one twiddling her fingers shyly, the thief knew full well what the little one wanted. Emerald gestured Blake to lie down beside her. With a content smile, the blonde climbed onto the bed and lay beside the minty-haired woman. As said woman was about to drift, she checked on the little one, only to find her still awake, and staring intensely at her.

"Something wrong?" Emerald asked

"Can't sleep." Blake averted her eyes to her aunt's rather bountiful bosom. Her sleeping garments weren't lewd in any matter, but the V-neck, from Blake's angle, gave her a pretty good view. Especially since Emerald wasn't wearing a bra. The older woman couldn't tell whether she was embarrassed or annoyed that this kid was peeking into her shirt. Regardless, it was to be expected since her mother didn't exactly have much to speak of. Not to mention, Blake's mentality had reverted to that of a child; extremely curious and extremely attached to loved ones. At the moment, it didn't appear as if she had any memories the previous Blake had, this one seemed like a whole other person entirely.

Gazing back down, Blake's eyes were still locked unto Emerald's breasts.

"Ok, let's try to sleep." Emerald directed Blake's gaze back to her aunt's eyes. She didn't show any form of anger, but rather fatigue. She was tired and didn't have the energy to deal with a perverted spawn of Jaune and Neo.

"Can't." The little one whispered back.

"Well, you need to try, Blake." Emerald insisted.

The little one groaned and closed her eyes, her expressions indicated a rather difficult attempt to stay put as she rolled around a few times.

"What do you want then...a lullaby?" Emerald pondered, remembering how easy it was for Jaune to put this kid to sleep with his lullaby earlier. It was when she noticed the little one's gleaming eyes did she realize what she involuntarily suggested. Almost quickly, she shook her head and closed her eyes, hoping the child would just close her eyes and fall asleep as well. Though, after five minutes, she slowly opened one eye to check on Blake, only to find the little one waiting for her.

"You're...not going to sleep unless I sing...are you?"

Blake smiled innocently, giving Emerald the impression this child was definitely going to be like her mother when she wanted something. With a tired sigh, the minty-haired woman placed a hand on the small one's head and closed her eyes. She hummed softly, allowing her voice to ease into a lullaby, and relax the child. Though, when she glanced to assure Blake was actually trying to sleep, she could feel the little one's hands cling to her shirt. In Blake's eyes were that of a child who might've seen a monster under her bed. Or in this case, two monsters having a not-so-subtle argument downstairs. The many conclusions in her head were perhaps what troubled the young blonde. In her mind, she might've thought her parents were fighting because of her, or perhaps papa isn't really in love with mama. Both might've been true to an extent, and they might've used Blake's name in their arguments, but the least they could do was keep their voices to a bare minimum...or Jaune at least. Hell, Emerald could even make near-perfect guesses as to what Neo would say and how Jaune would respond. Whether he knew it or not, he was really predictable when it came to his partner. Still, they should've had their talk in a place this little one wouldn't accidentally end up hearing them. Granted, she couldn't understand most of their words, though, the site of seeing her parents fight did trouble the little blonde. Empathizing with what she was going through, Emerald hugged Blake tighter and softly sang for her.

_"Little baby, hear my voice_

_Beside you, O maiden fair, _

_Our young lady, grow and see _

_Your land, your true land free_

_Oum and moon, guide us _

_To the hour of glory and honor_

_Our baby, our young lady_

_O maiden fair." _

For a thief, her voice was soothing and gave off a sense of security and peace; ironic.

"Aunty?" Came a tired and whisper-like voice. Emerald glanced to see the child, not facing her, but rather resting comfortably against the woman's chest with her eyes slowly closing. "I love you." She whispered.

Emerald stopped for a brief second before repeating her song, over and over until she heard the soft snores of a sleeping child. Blake had fallen asleep clinging to Emerald, which was somewhat sweet to a point. What bothered her most was what Blake said to her before falling to slumber. She was caught completely by surprise, hell, if her current blush indicating anything, it was how the little one's words made her feel...something. "Don't say such things, especially to me." She whispered, knowing full well the little one was already deep in slumber, unable to hear her.

This feeling she had when Blake said those three words. It was yet another new feeling she had to endure since the arrival of this witch. Neo might've had no problem being so motherly and soft towards Blake. But for the minty-haired woman, she had mixed feelings about this kid. On the one hand; Blake appears to be at a state where she knows very little about the world and the people around her, and yet she's eager to learn. Who knows, maybe she'd make a good thief, assassin, maybe even a swords woman. With her parent's guidance...wait. It was at that instance, the minty-haired woman began picturing scenarios in which she would watch the child grow into an adult. Her innocent smile would vanish within her first missions, her moral boundaries would crumble, and there was the risk that she'd end up constantly on the run like her parents, only to end up betrayed for a bounty on her head. Something within Emerald didn't want the child to be raised in the lifestyle her parents were experiencing right now. She didn't have the right to criticize them, given her similar job description, but there was still a nagging feeling. Was it; a maternal instinct? Who knew, she still had that sentiment after all this time. So many new emotions began to battle Emerald's morality, unbalancing her once set boundaries. These emotions kept the woman awake for most of night. Though, there was one clear decision her mind made up just before lulling the small one to sleep; there was no way she'd let Cinder get her hands on this child.

Another day arrives as Emerald awoke first and gently detached herself from Blake's grip. As quietly as she could, she went downstairs ahead of Blake, while noticing a few bits of scattered clothing on the floor. Upon glancing into the living room, she saw two naked parents with the sheets hardly covering their birthday suits, sleeping peacefully on the floor. Speechless, and caught in an awkward scenario, Emerald attempted to return upstairs, but was stopped when she noticed Jaune begin to wake and arise from his position. Though, as he did, what little sheets that covered his manhood fell, giving Emerald a world of a view. The minty-haired girl's blush was as dark as her eyes. Jaune's eyes wandered about until they finally landed on Emerald's. Her shocked expression confused him, that is, until the ruffling of his partner returned his attention to his exposed goods. The two were a state of paralysis as Emerald's mind desperately tried to respond to the situation.

"K-kyaa!" Was her reaction, awaking all within the house.

An hour later, Jaune and Neo were busy cooking when breakfast while Blake sat on Emerald's lap in the dining room. The young witch's father was shirtless, but had dark blue pajama pants on. Her mother had a white shirt, presumably belonging to the father. But as to whether she had anything else beside that was still to be seen as the shirt acted more of a short dress than an actual top. Emerald had a faint scowl as she kept trying to forget the dangling hook she saw not too long ago. Blake sat quietly on her aunt's lap, waiting for her parents to join them.

"Sorry about leaving you alone like that Blake, did you sleep well with your aunty?" Jaune asked from the doorway. The little one nodded happily.

"I'm sure you two slept well." Emerald retorted.

"Hardly, but we did relieve some stress off our shoulders." Jaune hinted, increasing Emerald's embarrassment. The minty-haired teen groaned and wished she'd kept her mouth shut.

"Stress?" Blake asked while tilting her head, to which her aunt picked her up in her arms and began walking upstairs. "Okay~, I'm gonna get her ready. Try to at least be discreet around your kid." She remarked with a hint of annoyance.

Neo peeked from the corner after Emerald left.

"They seem to be getting along." Jaune commented before subtly reaching down copping a feel, causing Neo to jump whilst trying to hide a crimson blush.

**Hi everyone, given the fact that lately a great deal of stress has been lifted off my shoulders I've been in high spirits. Also, I've read your reviews; so, we'll have peace and dwell further into interactions with the little witch. And as for the reveal of the other members of BANE, stay tuned. As for the next two chapters there will be no deeply dark moments, but brace yourselves, for the chapters that follow are planned and prepped to pull heart strings after our three-chapter-peacetime. Just a heads up from your somewhat friendly author. Thank you all for reading, i hope you enjoyed it. Until next time.**

**Ps. Emerald's lullaby is a slightly altered version of ****_a mhaighdean bhan uasal_**** from Brave.**


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